Dramatic new footage from the Moscow air disaster has revealed how the co-pilot climbed back into the burning plane via the escape slide to 'rescue the captain'.

Maxm Kuznetsov, 36, is seen fleeing the cockpit moments after the Aeroflot Sukhoi SuperJet made an emergency landing and burst into flames on Sunday.

Yet after climbing down a rope to safety, the co-pilot fights off rescuers in hi-viz jackets to rush back up the emergency slide at the Sheremetyevo airport.

Pilot Denis Evdokimov, 42, said yesterday: ‘The second pilot was the first to leave the cockpit, then I did.’ But he did not explain further how he exited the plane.

The stricken plane had crash-landed on the runway with its tank full of unburned jet fuel after it was forced to turn back to Moscow when a lightning strike knocked out the plane's communications.

Russian investigators are today probing why the lightning strike - described by experts as a fairly common occurrence - led to a disastrous crash-landing, which killed 41 people.

Dramatic new footage from the Moscow air disaster has revealed how the co-pilot climbs back into the burning plane via the escape slide to 'rescue the captain'

Maxm Kuznetsov, 36, is seen fleeing the cockpit moments after the Aeroflot Sukhoi SuperJet made an emergency landing and burst into flames on Sunday

The co-pilot climbs down a rope before repeatedly fighting off rescuers in hi-viz jackets to climb back up the emergency slide used by passengers to escape

Some of those who escaped were carrying luggage, raising concerns that grabbing their bags may have delayed an evacuation in which every second was critical.

'I do not know what to say about people who ran out with bags. God is their judge,' survivor Mikhail Savchenko wrote on Facebook.

Upon eventually reaching the cockpit, co-pilot Kuznetsov saved a passenger as well as crucial flight documents, Moscow-based newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets claims.

Elsewhere, REN TV reported that Kuznetsov had rescued the pilot, citing the captain’s father Alexander Evdokimov, yet no details have been confirmed.

Evdokimov has insisted he followed the correct procedures for landing with excess weight and one aviation expert has hailed his handling of the plane.

One commentator, Vadim Lukashevich, said the emergency landing was carried out 'expertly' but said a lightning strike should not have caused the plane to crash, The Times reported.

However, sources in the investigation have spoken of possible pilot errors including flying into a thunderstorm and not dumping fuel.

Upon eventually reaching the cockpit, Kuznetsov saved a passenger as well as crucial flight documents, Moscow-based newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets claims

Footage shows the plane in flames as fire services shoot water cannons at the aircraft in a bid to control the fire, while the co-pilot is pulled back as he tries to climb the slide

Elsewhere, REN TV reported that Kuznetsov had rescued the pilot, citing the captain’s father Alexander Evdokimov, yet no details have been confirmed

It comes as footage showed how cabin crew watched the blaze in horror after escaping the burning plane, knowing there were passengers still inside.

Two stewardesses in red Aeroflot uniforms are seen staring in disbelief on the tarmac as smoke and flames pour from the Superjet plane.

One of them appears to be Tatiana Kasatkina, the flight attendant hailed as a hero for kicking open a door and throwing passengers out to safety.

The two women try to comfort struggling passengers - who are seen collapsing amid the smoke - but are forced to abandon those still trapped inside the inferno.

Various sources told the business daily RBK the pilots opened a cockpit window, potentially fanning the flames, and failed to turn off engines immediately after landing.

Reports in Russia suggest the flight crew may have kept the fuel on board because it was too dangerous to dump the tanks over the capital city.

The plane also circled around Moscow twice before it came in to land but it is unclear if this was an attempt to lose fuel.

As it approached the runway at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport it bounced off the tarmac before crashing and bursting into flame.

A lightning strike 'does not lead to any catastrophic consequences' for modern planes, Lukashevich said, suggesting mechanical failure may have been to blame.

Wreckage: The burned-out remains of the aircraft at the Moscow airport yesterday after a crash landing which one aviation commentator said had been handled 'expertly'

The Flightradar24 tracking service showed that the stricken made two circles around Moscow in what may have been a last-ditch attempt to lose fuel

A U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said airline planes get hit about once a year on average.

The pilot said the plane had lost radio communications because of a lightning strike, but it was not clear if that precipitated the emergency landing.

Four of the five flight crew including the pilot survived the crash.

A flight attendant said there was a sharp flash soon after the Aeroflot flight took off, bound for the northern city of Murmansk.

'We took off, got into a cloud, there was strong hail, and at that moment there was a pop and some kind of flash, like electricity,' flight attendant Tatiana Kasatnika said in a video posted on YouTube.

The plane ignited when 'the chassis pierced the fuel tank' during a hard blow against the runway, causing a 'heavy leak,' he said.

One passenger, Petr Egorov said: 'We had just taken off and the aircraft was hit by lightning.... The landing was rough, I almost passed out from fear.'

'The plane sent out a distress signal after takeoff,' a source told Interfax news agency.

Disaster: A huge fireball erupts from the Superjet plane after it crash landed in Moscow

'It attempted an emergency landing but did not succeed the first time, and on the second time the landing gear hit (the ground), then the nose did, and it caught fire,' the source added.

Investigators have found the two flight recorders as they probe three theories: insufficient pilot qualifications, equipment failure and weather.

One survivor, Oleg Molchanov - who took the video from the tarmac - said: 'I did not really expect a plane to burn like plastic glass.

'The safety illuminators showing the nearest emergency exit at my row melted even before the plane stopped.'

The 35-year-old, whose wife Yulia also escaped alive, said: 'In terms of who survived, it was just pure luck and not about panic.

'One breath of that black toxic smoke and a person would not stand up from his seat.

'And in the situation of zero visibility nobody would save him, he is simply not seen. 'It was impossible to breathe

He revealed: 'I was the last to get out, no-one from behind where I was sitting. 'I don't quite understand why almost all behind the 12th row are dead.'

Meanwhile thousands of people have signed a petition in Russia calling on the plane involved in the crash to be grounded.

Recovery: Emergency workers at the scene of the crash yesterday after passengers scrambled to evacuate the jet following its emergency landing in Moscow on Sunday

Investigators are now looking into the cause of the crash, which happened shortly after the plane took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport headed for Murmansk

The SSJ100, also known as the Superjet, was heralded when it went into service in 2011 as a new phase for Russia's civil aviation industry.

It was introduced as a replacement for outdated Soviet-era planes but has been dogged by problems.

The SSJ100, also known as the Superjet, was heralded when it went into service in 2011 as a new phase for Russia's civil aviation industry.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the decision was not within President Vladimir Putin's power.

In 2012, a Superjet performing at an Indonesian air show slammed into a volcano, killing all 45 people on board. Indonesia blamed the crash on pilot error.

Survivors described how people panicked as the plane came in to land trailing thick smoke and flames, rushing to the escape exits at the front of the aircraft

Relatives and friends of victims are seen gathered awaiting information at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow following the crash on Sunday. The plane was a Sukhoi Superjet headed from Russia's capital to Murmansk

Technical problems with the plane have been reported in recent years and Russia has struggled to convince foreign carriers to purchase it.

The government offered subsidies to encourage Russian airlines to buy the Superjet and Aeroflot has became its main operator.

In 2018, it announced a record order of 100 Superjet-100s.

Russian regional airline Yamal said Monday it had cancelled an order for 10 of the jets but said this was to do with servicing costs rather than the crash.

The Murmansk region - where many of those killed or injured are believed to be from - went into a three-day period of mourning from Monday.

When the plane came to a halt, some of the people aboard plunged down inflatable slides deployed from the forward part of the plane.

One survivor sparked fury after he walked from the airport with a backpack he had rescued from the burning plane.

Dmitry Khlebushkin demanded a refund and complained about his treatment by Aeroflot staff as he left Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday.

The 'overweight' Russian has become a focal point of anger after several passengers were seen retrieving luggage while others tried to flee.

Tatyana Kasatkina, 34, a stewardess on board the Aeroflot plane that crashed and exploded in Moscow, has told how she kicked open the door and pushed passengers out by grabbing their collars in order to speed up the evacuation

Fireball: The Russian plane trails a huge cloud of smoke on the tarmac at the Moscow airport

The SSJ-100 aircraft of Aeroflot Airlines jet on fire during an emergency landing in Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow, Russia

According to reports in Russia, only three passengers behind Khlebushkin - who was sitting in seat 10C - survived the inferno.

As the fire raged, hero stewardess Tatyana Kasatkina, 34, had kicked open an exit door and grabbed passengers by their collars to push them to safety.

However another flight attendant, Maxim Moissev, died in the flames as he tried desperately to open a door at the rear of the plane.

Terrifying new footage emerged on Monday showing the stricken Russian plane bouncing down the runway before bursting into flames.

The security footage shows the Superjet plane flicking off the tarmac, collapsing to the ground and fireball careering along the runway with a huge cloud of smoke trailing behind it.

Russian officials are still probing the cause of the tragedy, suggesting three theories: insufficient pilot qualifications, equipment failure, and weather.