Russian superjet goes missing during test flight with 44 on board, reports say

A Russian passenger jet with at least 44 people on board—including embassy officials—went missing on Wednesday during a demonstration flight in Indonesia, according to reports from the region. The civilian Sukhoi Superjet 100 "disappeared from radar screens during a flight from Jakarta meant to last 30 minutes," BBC News said. According to CNN, the aircraft went missing at about 2 p.m. local time. Pilots requested permission to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet, but air traffic controllers lost radio contact. "The plane began making its descent but vanished from radar screens at 6,200 feet in a mountainous area," CNN reported. The plane was carrying Indonesia businessmen and Russian embassy officials, Reuters reported. (There were conflicting reports of the exact number of people on board. Reuters said 46, the BBC and CNN said 44.) The demonstration flight—the second of the day—was part of a tour of six Asian countries. The Superjet 100 was the first commercial airliner produced by Sukhoi, a military plane manufacturer. The mid-size jet can carry up to 103 people. Sukhoi plans to produce 1,000 superjets.