An airport technician, Rail Khasanov, who lost his leg after being struck by a 77-tonne aircraft, has shared his story for the first time.
Khasanov, a Ural Airlines employee, was in the process of preparing the plane for takeoff when the pilot initiated taxiing, resulting in the devastating accident at Koltsovo airport in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Footage from the incident shows Khasanov collapsing on the runway as the jet slowly approached him. The aircraft eventually halted, leaving Khasanov in a dire situation.
Speaking for the first time after the incident, which took place in May 2024, Rail said he “felt his bones burst” as the Airbus A320 rolled over him.
He said: “I remember the incident perfectly.
“A huge wheel drove along my leg and stopped. In the first few seconds I thought it was a nightmare but I couldn’t wake up.
“I didn’t feel any pain at first because of the shock but then I felt my bones burst.”
Mr Khasanov said he was stuck under the plane for seven minutes before being rushed to hospital.
“I was fully conscious while I was lying under the plane and I managed to write to my mother, ‘Mum, I was hit by a plane,'” he said.
“Then I wanted to sleep, I was so thirsty because of the blood loss. In the ambulance, I managed to say what happened and then I passed out.”
The technician was placed in an induced coma but regained consciousness five days later.
He woke up to find that his leg had been amputated at the hip by surgeons.He said: “I woke up and looked around and it didn’t look like heaven. I could see I was in intensive care with my mother next to my bed. I had no panic.
“I had known even while I was under the plane that my leg didn’t have a hope.
“But I was alive chatting, talking.”
The aircraft commander was blamed by investigators for Mr Khasanov’s injury and was ordered to pay him compensation, which is expected to be £16,000.
Mr Khasanov said: “What else could I do? He has a family, children, a mortgage, a loan, a friend.
“Who needs a man to be sentenced for a crime and then not be able to fly and work? All their lives would be ruined.”
Mr Khasanov is still an employee of Ural Airlines but is now looking for a new role. He is currently receiving rehabilitation and is due to return to work soon after being fitted with a prosthetic leg.
“It’s hard enough on two legs. The company has promised they will find a job for me,” he said.
“I know I’ll have to learn something new.”
