Footage of the plane’s crash-landing went viral on social media which showed Aeroflot’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft erupting into fire and making emergency landing and speeding along runway with flames all over it.
"There were 78 people including crew members on board the plane," the Investigative Committee said in a statement, adding that the plane had been flying to the northwestern Russian city of Murmansk, AFP said in its report.
"As per the report, as of now, 37 people survived, while the death toll was 41.
Another 11 people were injured, Dmitry Matveyev, the Moscow region's health minister said earlier in the day.
Shortly after the take off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, the Russian-made Superjet-100, which was carrying 73 passengers, requested an emergency landing due to fire on board.
"Flight Su-1492 took off on schedule at 6:02 pm (1502 GMT)," said a statement from the airport. "After the take-off, the crew reported an anomaly and decided to come back to the departure airport. At 6:30 pm, the aircraft made an emergency landing," it added.
The plane was headed to Russia's far northwest city of Murmansk. It returned to the Sheremetyevo airport after 27 minutes in the air, reported Russia Today.
Videos on social media show a dense cloud of black smoke pouring out the aircraft parked on the runway.
An investigation has been opened into the incident.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had offered his condolences to the victims' loved ones, the Kremlin said. Video on social media showed the plane running along the runway with with flames all over it.