He Landed a Plane in a Field and Saved 167 Lives. Now He’s Being Billed $1.3 Million for It.

In September 2023, Russian Airbus A320 captain Sergey Belov did the one thing you never want a pilot to have to do — and did it flawlessly. After a hydraulic system failure, Belov realized the plane wouldn’t make it to an alternate airport. Fuel was draining faster than expected. Options were disappearing.

So he made the call.

Belov put a fully loaded passenger jet down in a field.

No runway. No airport. Just open land, nerves of steel, and 167 people trusting him with their lives. Every passenger and crew member walked away alive.

For a brief moment, Belov and his crew were treated like heroes. Because, objectively, they were.

Behind the scenes, the airline quietly fired the pilots involved. And Belov — the captain who made the final call — suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a $1.3 million lawsuit, accused of causing damage to the aircraft.

Belov has been named the main defendant, effectively turning a life-saving decision into a financial liability. According to his defense, the damage assessment used to justify the lawsuit is deeply flawed, riddled with procedural violations, and backed by calculations that allegedly lack proper documentation.

The case has sparked outrage among aviation professionals and the public alike, who see it as a chilling message to pilots everywhere — make the safest call in an emergency, and you might still be punished for it.