Man Run Over by Airplane Speaks Out for the First Time

An airport technician who had his leg amputated after being run over by a 77-tonne plane has shared his story for the first time.

Rail Khasanov, an employee of Ural Airlines, was preparing the airliner for take-off when the pilot began taxiing and crushed the 22-year-old’s legs at Koltsovo Airport in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Footage from the incident shows Mr. Khasanov collapsing on the runway as the jet slowly moves forward. He is seen attempting to free himself, but ultimately fails as the plane rolls over him.

In his first comments after the incident, which occurred in May 2024, Rail described the horrifying moment, saying 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 and regained consciousness five days later.

Upon waking, he discovered that surgeons had amputated his leg at the hip.

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 remains an employee of Ural Airlines but is now seeking a new role. He is currently undergoing rehabilitation and is expected 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.”