A bizarre tragedy unfolded when a pilot dared to land a plane with his eyes closed, resulting in a fireball crash that claimed dozens of lives.
The grim aftermath of the Russian Aeroflot Flight 6502 disaster in October 1986 was shrouded in secrecy by the KGB for years.
Hidden from the public eye, the horrifying truth emerged through smuggled photos from the wreckage by fire department chief Colonel AK Karpov.
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On that fateful day Captain Alexander Klyuyev departed from Yekaterinburg en route to Grozny, Russia, carrying 87 passengers and seven crew members aboard the Tu-134-A aircraft.
Moments before landing, Klyuyev impulsively wagered with the first officer that he could do a blind landing, relying solely on the plane's autopilot for guidance.
He ordered the cockpit windscreen curtains to be closed, blocking his vision completely just 1,300 feet from the ground.
Ignoring blaring alarms and disregarding air traffic control advice, he descended sharply, reports avgeekery.com.
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The aircraft crashed violently upon impact, flipping upside down before engulfing in flames. 63 people died at the scene and seven more succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
In June 1987, a year after the incident, Klyuyev was sentenced to 15 years for flagrantly disobeying regulations. He was released after serving only six years, as per the Soviet Russia newspaper.
Meanwhile, the co-pilot valiantly attempted to aid the injured passengers but tragically suffered a fatal heart failure on the way to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Daily Star reported a huge plane crash left several dead including a senior politician in a horror accident just moments after it took off.
The incident in Paraguay saw the plane turn into a fireball after it plunged into a field. Walter Harms, a legislator for the ruling Colorado party, was killed along with three other men.
The other men are Walter’s brother Carlos, José Gonzálex and César Godoy. At the time, passers-by rushed to the scene engulfed in flames. The fire was said to rage for some time, with debris flying in all directions.
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