Siberia Push Plane: Passengers Push Plane After Oil In Landing Gear Freezes


Folks in Siberia helped push a plane that was frozen in ice and snow. According to CNN, passengers got out of their seats, and got themselves on to the tarmac to push the Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft after it got stuck. The strangers fought brutal weather conditions, including whipping winds and freezing winds, but they were successful.

“Passengers rallied to the rescue when oil in the plane’s landing gear iced up, according to UTair, the airline whose livery the plane carries… There were cries of ‘Let’s go!’ as two rows of passengers, dressed in heavy coats and thick gloves, each took a wing and apparently began shoving the aircraft into position,” reports CNN.

A video of the Siberia passengers pushing the plane has gone viral. According to CBS News, the passengers really wanted to get home, so they took matters into their own hands. They pushed the plane to the runway, boarded again, and prepared for takeoff.

A UTair spokesperson told CNN that the problems the plane had were weather-related, and nothing more.

“The problems at departure were caused by weather conditions, in particular, extremely low air temperature which is typical for this part of Krasnoyarsk region and sometimes gets as low as minus 50 Celsius. While the aircraft was parked at Igarka airport, its landing gear froze on to the aerodrome surface. In order to quickly resolve this issue the passengers assisted the tow truck to move the aircraft.”

The Siberia plane that needed a push to get up and running made a safe landing in Krasnoyarsk a few hours later. No one was injured, and the flight went on as planned.

Cold weather has been sweeping much of the globe, but temps 60 degrees below zero is extreme for almost everyone, just as is eight feet of snow. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, residents in the Buffalo, New York, area were completely pummeled by a three-day snow event that left many of them buried and without power. About 24 hours later, two to three more feet fell, making sure that everyone really knew that winter was on its way.

No one in Buffalo pushed an airplane on to a runway, however, as no planes were landing or taking off during the storm. Would you feel safe flying on a plane that was frozen in such a way? Would you have gotten out to help the other passengers push the plane on to the runway?


[Photo courtesy of YouTube screen capture]

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