A 25-year-old man was hit by a plane and died at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on Tuesday evening.
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Officials said that the Albert Yepremyan had arrived at Sheremetyevo International Airport from Madrid and was scheduled for a flight to Yerevan.
He was waiting to board a bus that would take him to his aircraft when he ran onto the runway and was fatally struck by a Boeing 737 as it accelerated off the runway during take-off.
The Boeing 737 believed they had hit an animal in the darkness and notified air traffic control to investigate the incident. Soon after, they discovered Yepremyan.
The aircraft continued its flight and landed safely in Athens, though there was damage to the fuselage and human remains on the exterior.
The Independent reported that Sledkom, Russia’s main federal investigation body, is leading an investigation to determine if Yepremyan’s death was an air travel safety violation.
“After going through the check-in procedure for the flight, the man gathered with other passengers and proceeded to board the aircraft,” Sledkom said.
“Subsequently, under circumstances that are not currently understood, the young man, when boarding an apron bus, proceeded towards the airport runways.”
“After that, the man stepped on to the runway number two in the area of the alpha taxiway, where he was fatally injured by the acceleration of the Boeing 737 aircraft.”
