The passenger Tu-154M aircraft owned by Alrosa airline, which was miraculously landed by the pilots in taiga with failed energy system and empty fuel tank on September 7^th 2010, took off from Izhma airport and headed off to Ukhta on March 2011.

Takeoff distance of the lightweight jet with 11 tons of fuel on-board was 800 meters. Due to impossibility of on-site inspection of landing gear legs after the repair, the flight has been performed with extended landing gear legs.

According to Ruben Esayan, the test pilot, who has piloted the aircraft, it was planned to perform flight at the altitude of 3600 meters and indicated speed of 425 km/h. The aircraft took off without incidents, made the farewell circle above Izhma and set a course for Ukhta.

Later on the same day after refueling the jet has been ferried from Ukhta to Samara for maintenance, which will be carried out by Avaicor Samara aviation plant.

The maintenance will be completed by June 16^th and the aircraft will be delivered to the owner for performing regular flights.

The Tu-154M aircraft owned by Alrosa airline, which has been performing flight from Polyarniy to Moscow, made an emergency landing at non-operated airport on unusable runway without lighting facilities and locator beacons on September 7^th 2010. All 72 passengers and 9crew members have survived.

The fact that the chief of the abandoned runway, Sergey Sotnikov, has carefully maintained it in a relatively working order preventing trash buildup and plant growth on its surface, has contributed to the successful emergency landing of the jet.

Sergey Sotnikov has been awarded with Second Class Order of Merit for the Fatherland in February 2012.

Photoreport (Photo by Aleksey Nagaev)