Russian plane carrying ‘radioactive cargo’ forced back to Moscow due to mechanical failure: report

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A Russian aircraft traveling from Moscow with radioactive cargo was forced to return to its point of origin due to a reported mechanical failure.

The UTair plane — reportedly carrying just under 42 pounds of radioactive cargo — was scheduled to travel from Vnukovo Airport in Moscow to Khanty-Mansiysk.

It was forced to make an emergency landing back at Vnukovo Airport after only 40 minutes in the air.

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An UTair Boeing 737-500 seen at the Vnukovo International Airport, named after Andrey Tupolev. A plane intended to travel from Vnukovo to Khanty-Mansiysk with almost 42 pounds of radioactive cargo was forced into an emergency landing due to an alleged landing gear failure. (Alexander Sayganov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The emergency landing was required after a landing gear malfunction, according to Russian media outlet Baza.

The UTair plane was reportedly carrying 104 passengers and 5 crew members in addition to its cargo.

Passengers were reportedly transferred onto an alternative flight to Khanty-Mansiysk the same day. 

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This picture shows an exterior view of Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

International sanctions are in place on the sale of aircraft parts and maintenance due to its ongoing invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

The lack of resources has led to widespread issues with commercial aircraft, including engine fires and system failures.

Russian commercial airplanes have reported at least 180 technical malfunctions requiring emergency landings this year, according to a report from Newsweek. 

Passenger jets operated by UTAir Aviation stand at their terminal positions at Vnukovo airport in Moscow. Russian commercial aircraft have reported a sharp increase in mechanical failures requiring emergency landings in 2023. The spike is connected to ongoing sanctions restricting the sale of parts and maintenance to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. (Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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It marks a staggering increase from only 61 similar incidents in 2022.

Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and can email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com