YouTube Video Suggests Real Problems With Tri-Engine Airliner

The data is quite sparse, but a video uploaded to YouTube by Russia Today sure suggests that a recent TU-154 TakeOff could have gone pretty wrong. The video shows the triple-engine airliner gyrating fairly aggressively in all three axes with significant yaw and roll excursions that sure seem to indicate that someone in the cockpit was not having a good time.

If the video is for real (remember, this is YouTube), the TU-154 was able to be brought back to a safe landing at a Moscow airport despite the significant control issues clearly shown in the video. Minimal details currently available suggest that the aircraft was flown only by the flight crew and that no passengers were on board and that his might suggest that the aircraft was on maintenance or test flight... either way, the flight crew of this bird probably needs to see their launderer in no uncertain terms. 

The video's description data says little, "Now, caught on camera...A pilot struggles to regain control of his aircraft. This footage shot by a plane spotter at an airport in the Moscow region shows a Tupolev-154 apparently going out of control shortly after take off. No passengers were onboard the Ministry of defense plane at the time. The film released on the Internet has bloggers praising the skills of the pilot as he manages to regain control and land safely. Aviation authorities are investigating the incident."

We look forward to additional details, as we have a feeling they should be fairly intriguing...

FMI: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpOmzjUHVy8