Three Persons Hospitalized

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 02.13.07 1445 EST: Aero-News has learned a Swiss-owned aircraft, believed to be a Bombardier Challenger 850 business jet, crashed on takeoff Tuesday morning at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport. Initial reports state the three persons onboard, an American and two Russians, have been hospitalized.

Russia's RIA Novosti news service states the plane was departing for Berlin to undergo maintenance. A snowstorm was reportedly in the area at time of takeoff.

The Associated Press reports early indications point to an engine fire as a possible factor in the crash.

"On take-off there was a flare-up in the area of the engine. The aircraft fell onto the runway and broke up," said Svetlana Kryshtanovskaya, an aide to Transport Minister Igor Levitin.

Earlier reports stating the aircraft was landing at the time of the crash were inaccurate, according to local media. Many of those reports also stated the plane involved was an Airbus A310.

Vnukovo was closed for several hours following the crash. The airport, which caters primarily to business aviation and low-cost charter airlines, was to resume regular operations at 7:30 pm local time.

The Challenger 850 is a business-jet variant of Bombardier's CRJ200 regional airliner.

FMI: www.vnukovo.ru/eng/index.wbp