They sprung into action, moving the children away and attempting to stop the plane from spinning out of control.
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The flight recorder shows the plane banking steeply, seeming to nearly get under control but then entering a near-vertical climb that sees it stall and then eventually spin down through the air.
Despite their best efforts, the pilots were unable to get the plane back on the ascent, and it eventually fell out of the air and crashed into a mountainside below its flight plan.
The Cockpit Voice Recorder Database has reported the pilots’ chilling final words, as they scrambled to rectify the situation.
Kudrinsky is heard sobbing, saying: “Full power,” while his co-pilot, Igor Vasilyevich Piskaryov, replies: “Speed is very high.”
Piskaryov later says: “We’re coming out, coming out!”, Kudrinsky replies: “Done,” and then Piskaryov adds with panic: “Gently! … Shit, not again.”
The last few words are largely unintelligible, with Kudrinsky reportedly heard saying before impact: “We’ll get out of this. Everything’s fine… Gently [unintelligible], gently… Pull up gently!”
It took just a few minutes from the moment when Kudrinsky’s son accidentally disengaged the autopilot to when the plane was completely destroyed, killing all 75 people aboard.
This might not be the only reason why you’re not allowed in the cockpit anymore when flying, but it certainly might have played a part.