Russian Aircraft Vanishes From Radar During Promotional Flight

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New York Times:

The demonstration airplane for a new model of Russian passenger jet vanished from radar screens and lost contact with ground controllers Wednesday during a flight in Indonesia for airline representatives and journalists that was meant to promote sales of the aircraft

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Russian and Indonesian authorities confirmed the loss of contact with the crew of the airplane, called a Sukhoi SuperJet 100, during a flight that departed from Halim airport in Jakarta, the capital, and was to return to the same location 50 minutes later.

 

News agencies reported 46 people were aboard the plane, the first newly designed passenger jet made in Russia since the Soviet collapse, though it was unclear whether this included the crew.

 

The list price for the chubby, 100-seat, single-aisle aircraft is $31.7 million, about one-third cheaper than comparable short-hop jets by its competitors, Embraer of Brazil and Bombardier of Canada.

 

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I'm sure saving money is important for an airline... but 1/3 cheaper certainly means tradeoffs.

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As it entered production, the Russian television station NTV reported that 70 engineers at the plant making the SuperJet had obtained fake engineering diplomas by bribing a local technical college.