Russia probes Airbus emergency landing over 'cracked windscreen'

Russia's transport investigators on Wednesday said they were looking into an emergency landing by an Airbus jet after the windscreen cracked shortly after takeoff.

The A319 jet with 129 passengers departed from the far-eastern city of Khabarovsk on Wednesday morning but "19 minutes after take-off the windscreen cracked in the pilots' cabin," a statement by the regional transportation investigative department said.

"The captain made a decision to return to the airport of departure," it said, adding that no one was injured.

The plane belongs to Aurora airline, a subsidiary of Russia's flagship carrier Aeroflot based in the Far East of Russia that also flies some routes to Japan, China, and South Korea. It is one of seven A319 jets owned by Aurora.

The department said it is looking into the incident for any possible criminal violations of safety regulations.

An Airbus 321 jet flown by Kogalymavia airline crashed in Egypts Sinai peninsula on October 31, killing all 224 on board. The investigation is ongoing though there is a growing suspicion that the plane was brought down by a bomb on board.

Caption: An Airbus plane

Photo:The Malaysian Insider