Russian plane vanishes in Indonesian mountains

May 9, 2012

During a demonstration flight above Indonesia, a Russian plane disappeared from radars. The Russian Sukhoi Superjet-100 was carrying 44 people from Russia and Indonesia and vanished from radar after requesting a drop in altitude, according to CNN. The new plane was in the midst of a tour in six Asian countries.

The plane was set to return to the same Jakarta, Indonesia, airport from which it departed, but failed to do so. RIA Novosti indicates the pilots of the passenger plane asked radio traffic controllers if they could bring the plane to 6,000 feet from their current 10,000-foot altitude. Before the plane could reach the new flying level, it vanished on the radar screens in the mountainous region near the 7,254-foot Mount Salak, nearly 40 miles north of Jakarta.

CNN reports the plane only had enough fuel to stay in the air for the scheduled flight time. Now, rescue workers are conducting ground search missions in the areas where the plane was last spotted. The news source indicates previous Superjet models have also experienced technical difficulties.

Those who want to find out the latest on the aeronautical mystery can make calls to Russia with phone cards to get the latest updates from their friends.

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