Over the years, there have been a few cases of crash landings where incredible pilots managed to take a life-threatening situation and defuse it, saving hundreds of lives.

Pilots like Chesley Sullenberger III, John Coward, and Peter Burkill, to name some of the more famous.

Damir Yusupov, pilot of the Ural Airlines flight from Moscow to Simferopol in the Crimea, Airbus A321, officially joined the ranks of heroic pilots when he safely landed in a cornfield this week.

The jet was carrying 233 passengers all of whom survived the crash with only 23 suffering minor injuries, reports IOL.

The Ural Airlines flight from Moscow to Simferopol in the Crimea came down three miles (about 4.8km) from take-off when it hit a flock of seagulls on Thursday.

The Airbus A321 made a “belly” landing with the engines off and its wheels retracted. Passengers, who cheered on landing, were evacuated using inflatable ramps. Twenty three were hurt, but none seriously.

“Everyone is alive. The pilot is a genius,” said one.

You can watch footage of the landing from inside the plane here:

Here’s more footage of the landing and the aftermath, along with some passenger interviews:

It’s been dubbed the ‘Miracle in a Russian cornfield’.

Not very creative, but props to the pilot.

[source:iol]