A deadly plane crash in Russia Sunday that left 71 people dead was captured on surveillance footage which appeared to show the moment the An-148 crashed in a ball of fire just minutes after it took off.
From a distance, the security video showed the moment Saratov Airlines Flight 703 plunged into a field nearly 25 miles out from Domodedovo Airport, where it had taken off from only moments before.
The Antonov An-148 regional jet disappeared from radar about 12 miles southeast of the airport, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. A plane can disappear from radar when it gets too close to the ground to reflect radar signals.
It was not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash, but weather conditions and pilot error were said to be among the possible reasons.
The crash left chunks of wreckage strewn across a field outside Moscow. A “black box” flight recorder from the airliner was found, although it was not immediately clear if it was the data or voice recorder.
Witnesses, according to Sky News, said they saw a burning plane falling from the sky.
One woman who lived nearby reportedly said: “I felt a shock wave… the windows shook.”
Another witness told REN-TV that she “left the house, saw the plane, an explosion was heard and the sky turned red.”
“The United States is deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of those on board Saratov Airlines Flight 703. We send our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of Russia,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders…