Pilot's Genius Move After Engines Fail Has People Calling Him A Hero

While the passengers of Ural Airlines Flight 178 sat back and relaxed in their seats, crew members scrambled to get everything ready for takeoff. It was always a busy job. That day in 2019, however, one pilot had to go above and beyond the call of duty during one of his recent flights. When facing incredible danger aboard his failing plane, he had to think quickly if he wanted to save all 226 passengers.

A pro pilot

Forty-one-year-old Captain Damir Yusupov was an experienced pilot getting ready for another routine day at the office. In his case, however, the office was the cockpit of Ural Airlines Flight 178. Soon, that flight number would be known worldwide.

Planned route

Yusupov settled into his seat and checked the flight itinerary. He and his copilot had an early morning trip, heading south from Moscow's Zhukovsky Airport to the popular vacation destination of Simferopol, Crimea. They had every reason to expect a routine passage — at first.

Seemingly perfect

It was a short route and one that Yusupov had flown countless times before. The weather was clear, too; everything, it seemed, was shaping up for an easy day of work.

Hitting the runway

All the pre-flight checks were taken care of, so Yusupov got the go-ahead to push back from the gate. Slowly, his plane joined the line-up and began to move towards the runway.