2014 Vnukovo Airport Falcon 50 crash

The accident occurred in darkness at 23:57 Moscow Time (MSK). While executing its take-off run, the Falcon 50 struck with its right wing and landing gear a snow clearing vehicle that was occupying the runway. The jet rolled inverted and crashed on the grass next to the runway. A post-impact fire broke out, but was quickly extinguished by the airport's fire crew. There were no survivors among the four people on board the jet: two pilots, a flight attendant[3] and Margerie, the only passenger.[4][5]

The Dassault Falcon 50EX with tail number F-GLSA, serial number 348, first flew in 2006 and was less than eight years old.[6] The airplane was owned by Sanofi-Aventis Groupe SA [7] but operated by Unijet, which specializes in business aviation.[8]

Five people were eventually charged with a crime: airport aerodrome service lead engineer Vladimir Ledenev, snowplow driver Vladimir Martynenko, air traffic controller Aleksandr Kruglov, trainee controller Svetlana Krivsun and Vnukovo flight director Roman Dunayev.[9] Martynenko, Ledenev and Krivsun were charged with violating the article 263.3 of the Criminal Code of Russia (violating safety rules of transportation and air travel, which led by neglect to death of two or more people).[10][11][12] As of May 2016, the investigation was continuing on the matter of three more potential accused, Vnukovo Airport shift director Sergei Kosik, branch director of Moscow Air Traffic Control Center Vladimir Uzhakov and Uzhakov's deputy Aleksandr Povaliy.[13] The final version of the indictment was issued on 18 January 2016.[14]

In March 2016, 5 insurance companies (Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance, Tokio Marine Kiln, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, Great Lakes Reinsurance and Mapfre) sued the airport for 10 million euros to recover the payments made to their clients in connection with the incident.[15] The lawsuit was suspended in August 2016 until the resolution of the criminal case.[16]

On 7 July 2017, Martynenko and Ledenev were sentenced to 4 and 3.5 years of imprisonment respectively following a guilty plea, and immediately amnestied. The charges against Dunayev, Kruglov and air traffic controller Nadezhda Arkhipova were moved into a separate case.[17] Charges against Krivsun were dismissed in early 2016 due to "absence of criminal actions".[18] On 24 July 2017, the court accepted an appeal on Martynenko's and Lebedev's sentences from Patrick Vervelle, whose wife, stewardess Ruslana, died in the crash. According to Russian law, Vervelle is considered a victim of this crime.[19] Vervelle's civil suit against the airport was not accepted by the court earlier.[20]

In January 2018, Moscow's Arbitration Court accepted a lawsuit by Unijet, the company that was operating the aircraft, against Vnukovo International Airport and FGUP "Goskorporatsiya po OrVD" (the Russian government-owned air traffic control corporation), for 6,700,000 euros in damages.[21]

• Linate Airport disaster
• Air France Flight 4590

• Interstate Aviation Committee Final Report hosted on the Aviation Safety Network
• Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network