Hardy Siberians undaunted by aircraft frozen on tarmac as
temperatures sank to a biting minus 52C
When their plane literally froze on the ground at Igarka
airport, above the Arctic Circle, there was no need to panic.
Fearing the UTair service to regional capital Krasnoyarsk could be
delayed, many of the 70 passengers used brute strength to free the
30-ton Tupolev 134.
Men are heard shouting: 'Come on, push!' As one was heard saying
on a video of the incident: 'Real men can plant a tree, build a
house, and push a plane.'
Another added: 'We just want to get back home.'
The passengers pushed the plane's wings, moving it
backwards.
Problems developed on one of the coldest days of the year
because the wrong kind of grease was used for the landing gear -
unsuitable for Far North locations.
Vladimir Artemenko, technical director of Katekavia, which ran
the flight jointly with UTair, said that the plane was technically
serviceable, but the chilly temperatures led it to freeze
up.
The airport's tractor could not move the Tu-134 because its
brake pads were frozen. 'When people pushed the plane, the wheel
cranked out, and then the aircraft could continue to move,' he
explained.
The plane later took off and landed safely in Krasnoyarsk. Most
of the passengers were oil and gas workers on their way home after
a stint in the Arctic production flields.
