The Russian aviation industry, with their already poor aviation record, suffered another blow when a Boeing 737 crashed during landing at the Kazan airport about 450 miles east of the capital. Flight U363 from Moscow's Domodedova airport crashed one hour after taking off at 14.25 GMT.

According to a report BBC, an eye witness that was on the same aircraft earlier that day said she felt strong vibrations during the final minutes of her flight.

The Los Angeles Times also noted that Russian aviation agency spokesman Sergei Izvolky said eye witnesses on the ground said that the aircraft lost altitude and had to undergo an aborted landing. The plane touched down near the edge of the runway where the fuel tanks exploded on impact, killing all on-board.

Among the passengers on the flight were Irek Minnikhanov, the Tararstan governor's son, and Alexander Antonov, head of the Tararstan branch of the Federal Security Service. Other victims include a British national.

Weather conditions at the time of the accident was reported to have high winds and above zero temperatures. Reports also indicated that it was raining at the Kazan Airport at the time of the crash.

The 23-year-old Boeing 737 aircraft series was involved in another incident a year ago, when it made an emergency landing due to cabin pressurization shortly after take-off. The Boeing 373 range has been involved in 170 crashes since coming into use.

With this, the poor safety record of the Russian aviation industry on their regional airlines servicing internal routes in the country is again under the microscope. The industry's accident rate in 2011 was three times the world average and the majority of aviation accidents is Russian-build aircraft. This has led many to think that the main goal of regional airlines is purely profit and not passenger safety.