50 DIE AS BOEING 737 CRASHES INTO RUNWAY AT A RUSSIAN AIRPORT!

The circumstances of the crash are under investigation (Picture: AFP/Getty)

A passenger plane crashed – killing all 50 people on board – as it came into land at an airport in Russia.

The Boeing 737′s pilot had aborted a first landing attempt and was heading for the runway for the second time when the aircraft dropped to the ground and burst into flames.

It was unclear what had caused the Tatarstan Airlines aircraft to crash in light rain and moderate winds, after travelling from Moscow to the city of Kazan, 720km (450 miles) to the east.

Journalist Lenara Kashafutdinova – who was on the same 23-year-old plane from Kazan to Moscow earlier in the day – recalled the landing being rough.

A woman reads a lists with the names of passengers who were aboard the flight (Picture: AP)

‘We were blown in different directions, the plane was tossed around. The man sitting next to me was white as a sheet,’ she said.

The 44 passengers and six crew members died when the Boeing crashed at about 7.20pm local time (3.20pm UK time).

Russia has seen a string of deadly air crashes in the past few years, some blamed on the use of ageing aircraft.

Poor crew training, lax government controls and widespread neglect of safety are also factors, say industry experts.