A Russian Tu-134 airliner crashed Tuesday with all 44 passengers and
crew aboard killed, the Russian emergency ministry said early Wednesday.
Also on Tuesday, a Tu-154 airliner went missing in
southern Russia's Rostov region.
The Interfax news agency quoted a Russian official as
reporting Wednesday that an alarm aboard went off just before it
disappeared,which indicated an attack or hijacking.
The following are the basic information about Tu-154
and Tu-134planes.
The Tu-154 first flew on Oct. 4, 1968. Regular
commercial service began in February 1972.
It is 47.2 meters long and 11.2 meters high. The
maximum speed is more than 900 kilometers per hour.
The plane, with three or four flight crew, has more
than 150 seats.
About 900 Tu-154s of all models have been produced
till now.
The production of Tu-134 planes started in 1964.
Aeroflot launched full commercial service in September 1967.
The Tu-134 can seat 76 people in a single class. The
revised Tu-134B1, which has a revised interior, can seat up to 90 passengers
without a galley, or kitchen. And the Tu-134B3 can seat 96 with a full kitchen.
It is 33.8 meters long and 8.9 meters high. The
maxium speed is899 kilometers per hour.
The Tu-134, with three flight crew, can seat 72 to 96
passengers.
About 365 TU-134s were in service in late 1998.
