Stealing of cash from crashed Russian jet denied

KABUL (Pajhwok): Last week’s aircraft crash in northeastern Badakhshan province has been linked to a technical malfunction, possibly fuel issues.

A Russian couple lost their lives while four people, including two pilots and as many medics, survived the Jan. 20 incident.

The survivors, who were taken to Kabul after the crash, landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Friday (yesterday), TASS news agency reported.

One of the pilots, Dmitry Belyakov, tied the crash to a technical issue that resulted in a fuel problem. In all likelihood, he suggested, there was a problem with fuel.

At a press conference in the Russian capital, the pilot said the presence of ice had disrupted the fuel flow from the main tanks to feeder tanks.

Arkady Grachev, father of the other pilot, scorned media reports that the plane, which was on its way from Thailand to Moscow, was carrying $1.2 million.

In response to a query, he said: “There was no money on board. They (Afghans) came to help us and they had to be thanked somehow; we gave them some cash.”

Daily Hasht-e Subh, citing sources in the region, earlier claimed unidentified individuals had stolen about $1.2 million from the Falcon 10 airplane.

PAN Monitor/mud

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