Earlier this month a Ural Airlines Airbus A321 crash landed in a Russian cornfield. The aircraft suffered a dual engine failure following a double bird strike. The airline has now confirmed the aircraft will be dismantled and scrapped.

Thankfully everybody survived when the aircraft came down in the early morning. Both engines lost thrust after each ingesting birds and, as a result, the aircraft became a giant glider. The aircraft was skilfully guided to the ground by the pilots where it has laid since. It seems, however, that this was the last flight of the aircraft.

Due to be dismantled

The Airbus A321 is now due to be dismantled in the cornfield according to Flight Global. The aircraft will have been fairly beaten up as it landed in the rough field without landing gear. Additionally, while not a major issue, the emergency slides had been deployed on the aircraft. Thankfully, despite initial reports, there appears to have been no fire, so the fuselage remains relatively intact. Thankfully everybody survived the crash landing, and only a few injuries were reported.

It appears that, in this case, it is not worthwhile repairing the aircraft. There are two possible reasons why. Firstly, the aircraft could be damaged beyond repair. However, it could also be possible to repair the aircraft, however, the insurance company decides that the cost is not worth it due to the value of the aircraft. We previously explored when exactly an aircraft will be written off.

Work already started

Flight Global goes on to report that work to dismantle the Airbus A321 has already started. The aircraft’s fuel has been completely drained. Additionally, a number of other systems including supplemental oxygen, and hydraulic systems have been taken care of.

Starting tomorrow (Friday 23rd August), the aircraft will be cut up, presumably into sections. It will then be removed from the field. It is reported that the traffic police have been drafted in to make the aircraft’s removal as easy as possible. Currently, it is unclear where the aircraft is being taken once it has been cut up. Presumably, it will be further dismantled wherever it ends up.

However, Ural Airlines emphasized that no parts from the aircraft would be used again on other aircraft. Instead, the whole of the aircraft is said to be heading for the scrap yard. Despite this, the aircraft’s final fate upon leaving the cornfield is unknown. It is also unknown how long the removal process will take.

What do you think will happen to parts of the aircraft next? Let us know in the comments!