The flight crew of the Ural Airlines Airbus A321-200, who performed a hard landing on a cornfield after the plane flew through the flock of seagulls and ingested animals in both engines, were awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Both engines of the A321, which carried 226 passengers and 7 crew on the route Moscow – Simferopol, failed and forced the crew stop climbing at 750 feet and land the aircraft in a corn field near the runway. The decision was taken immediately.

The 41-years old chief pilot Damir Yusupov, with a flight log of more than 3,000 flight hours, and a 23-years-old  co-pilot Georgy Murzin, with more than 600 hours, landed the aircraft sooner than the ATC was informed.

With the help of cabin crew, all passengers were successfully evacuated via slides. 23 passengers required medical attention.

It was a miraculous landing with no serious injuries. For the bravery and courage Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, signed an order to award co-pilot Georgy Murzin and aircraft Captain Damir Yusupov the title of Hero of Russia. The Order of Courage was awarded to the cabin crew members.