In this photo taken on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013 and provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry fire fighters and rescuers work at the crash site of a Russian passenger airliner near Kazan, the capital of the Tatarstan republic, about 720 kilometers (450 miles) east of Moscow. A Russian passenger airliner crashed Sunday night while trying to land at the airport in the city of Kazan, killing all people aboard, officials said. The Boeing 737 belonging to Tatarstan Airlines crashed an hour after taking off from Moscow. There were no immediate indications of the cause. (AP Photo/Russian Emergency Situations Ministry) (The Associated Press)
KAZAN, Russia – Russia's aviation safety watchdog says the pilots of a Boeing 737 jet somehow lost their plane's speed at a low altitude, resulting in a diving crash that killed all 50 people on board.
The Interstate Aviation Committee said Tuesday the plane's engines and other systems were working fine until the moment the plane hit the ground. It said the crew had failed to make a proper landing approach on their first attempt and then began a second run.
They put the plane's engines on maximum power, raising the plane's nose up at a sharp angle, causing a quick loss of speed. The crew then tried to gain speed by taking the plane into a dive but hit the ground at a near-vertical angle in a spectacular crash.
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