The genetic examination of the bodies of those killed in the Tu-154 plane crash near Sochi will be carried out by forensic experts of the Russian Ministry of Defense. This was announced by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Major General Igor Konashenkov.

“A decision has been made to deliver all those killed in the Tu-154 plane crash of the Russian Ministry of Defense to Moscow for identification and genetic examination by specialists from the 111th Main State Center for Forensic and Forensic Examinations of the Russian Ministry of Defense,” Konashenkov said at a briefing.

On the morning of December 25, information appeared that a Tu-154 aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense, flying from Sochi to the Khmeimim airbase, disappeared from the radar.

Something extreme happened before the crash in Tu-154 - expert

The fall of the Tu-154 into the Black Sea immediately after takeoff from Adler airport could have been preceded by an extreme situation on board, which did not allow the crew to transmit a distress signal to the ground, says Vitaly Andreev, the former shift chief of the main center of the unified air traffic management system of Russia.

“After takeoff and a short flight - two minutes - the plane disappeared from communication and did not transmit a signal to the ground about any malfunctions, this may indicate that an emergency situation developed on board - either an outside influence on the car, or a meeting with an obstacle, which was hardly there, ”says Andreev, who has worked in aviation for 47 years.

He adds that “Tu-154 is a very reliable machine, and miracles do not happen, they don’t just fall down”.

“In my practice, there were cases when Tu-154s landed when all three engines failed, or, for example, the famous landing in the taiga on an abandoned strip,” the expert adds.

“Those versions about malfunctions on board that are now being voiced - rudder imbalance, deviation from the established flight path - certainly could not prevent the crew from transmitting a signal to the ground,” Andreev added.

“This means that something extreme has happened, from practice - such situations are possible when a ship is hijacked,” he added.

The expert clarified that the data of the self-written intercom (SPU) "with an accuracy of 99.99% will be able to explain what was happening in the cockpit at the time of the disaster."

The Tu-154 plane of the Russian Defense Ministry, which was heading for Syria, crashed in the Black Sea on Sunday morning.

According to the military department, there were 92 people on board - eight crew members and 84 passengers, including eight military men, 64 artists of the Alexandrov ensemble, nine representatives of Russian TV channels, the head of the Fair Help charity Elizaveta Glinka, known as Doctor Liza, two federal civil servants.

The version of the terrorist attack on the Tu-154 is practically out of the question - source

The large scattering of the debris of the Tu-154 crashed near Sochi is explained by a water hammer, a source in the emergency services told Interfax.

“Apparently, when the aircraft collided with the water surface, a water hammer occurred, which entailed a large scattering of debris,” the source said.

In turn, a source in the security forces told Interfax that a terrorist attack was not considered among the main versions of the catastrophe and that such a version was practically ruled out.

“The plane took off from the Chkalovsky airfield, which is a well-guarded military facility. It is not possible to penetrate there in order to plant an explosive device on board. In turn, the airport in Sochi is a dual-use airport and is heavily guarded. Penetration of unauthorized persons, or bringing unauthorized items by any of the employees is excluded, ”the source said.

Konashenkov: In search of the aircraft, 27 ships and vessels, 37 divers, 4 helicopters, UAVs and remotely controlled deep-sea vehicles are involved

Briefing by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov on the situation with the crash of the Tu-154 aircraft in the Sochi area as of 15:00:

“According to the updated data, 10 bodies of the dead have been lifted on board the rescue vessel.

The group of search and rescue forces continues to build up in the area of ​​the Tu-154 plane crash.

A search area with an area of ​​10.5 km2 was formed.

The area is divided into sectors and distributed among the forces involved. The search is organized around the clock. For highlighting coastline in the dark, searchlight installations and special equipment were sent.

The search involved 27 ships and vessels, 37 divers, 4 helicopters, UAVs and remotely controlled deep-sea vehicles.

In the near future, more than 100 deep divers with special equipment will be additionally delivered to the area of ​​the plane crash from other fleets.

In total, more than 3 thousand people take part in search and rescue activities.

At the Adler airfield, groups of medical and psychological assistance are on duty, vehicles have been allocated for the transportation of relatives to temporary accommodation at the funds of the city's sanatoriums.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Tu-154 crash would be thoroughly investigated.

"A thorough investigation of the causes of the disaster will be carried out and everything will be done to provide support to the families of the victims," ​​he said during an emergency press conference.

On the likelihood of a terrorist attack

On the topic of the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

Air Force Major, pilot instructor Sergei Krasnoperov:

- What could have caused the crash of this liner, do you think?

- Only the "black box" that will be lifted from this liner will tell about it. But, as you say, the versions - pilot error and equipment failure - are the real reasons, as is always the case in such cases. But it is too suspicious that the plane disappears from the radar screens after taking off in the climb, which is literally a few tens of minutes.

- Now we have clarified that this happened at the seventh minute, when climbing or turning, apparently, over the Black Sea.

- This means that the engines were working properly, the fuel was normal. If this had happened on takeoff, the fuel might have been the cause. The situation, perhaps, is similar to the tragedy in Sharm el-Sheikh, there, too, after takeoff, very little time has passed.

- Do you mean the version of the terrorist attack?

- Of course. What is very strange, the plane crashes on takeoff very rarely, especially of this class. The Tu-154 has three engines and is very reliable. I myself flew on them as a passenger very often.

- Why don't you consider the aircraft malfunction? After all, the Tu-154 is not a new aircraft.

- Yes, but they are very reliable. I can consider the design of the aircraft from the point of view of the pilot, and believe me, what is connected with the control of the aircraft, there is such a reliable control system, not like electronics now, but there are cable backup systems, including aircraft control systems, that is, if one system fails , another enters. Considering the experience of the pilots who now fly these planes, this situation is still very strange to me, that it was only the seventh minute after takeoff. I understand that the plane took off from our airfield, and it was also monitored by an electronic surveillance system, so it could not be that someone flew up to it, it could crash into something.

- Initially, it was reported that he simply disappeared from the radar screens, but the plane did not send any distress signals.

- This suggests that the plane, as in Sharm el-Sheikh, instantly lost speed and simply fell into a spin position, that is, uncontrollable. In this case, the pilot, simply with such an overload, which occurs in this case, not only could not report to the dispatcher, but was also unable to turn on the distress signal. Imagine, the liner just starts spinning strongly. Therefore, I think the plane was destroyed, as it happened in Sharm el-Sheikh, where the speed at first was 780 km / h and then sharply became 170 km / h, and the loss of altitude is 1000 m.Now we need to look at the radars, exactly how speed dropped. That is, the plane could plan and land on the water. Recently there was a case with Tu-154, when 37 people were rescued. The pilots were then able to land the liner on an unfamiliar field in a strong wind, in a strong snowstorm, and they saved almost all people.
In this situation, there were simple meteorological conditions, if something happened to the plane, with the engine, it would simply turn around, and began to glide towards the airfield, and would land in the coastal zone. Let the plane fall apart, but the pilots, the crew, and the passengers would be alive, do you understand? And then there is a sharp drop, as it happens when something abnormal happened, something exploded, something fell off. As a rule, the tail of these aircraft can only fall off. And in all other cases, the pilot could calmly transmit information, turn on the distress signal, but this did not happen. This means that something was so abnormal, abrupt in the seventh minute of the flight. So, I cannot sin on the crew, and the equipment does not break down so abruptly.

- Scattering of fragments at such a speed, and his speed in the set is about 600-700 km / h, already there he goes above, at such a distance it may well be. But if the plane fell intact, then such would not have been the scattering of fragments, believe me. The plane collapsed, just fell apart, which means it exploded, which means that somewhere someone was given a suitcase, given that it was a flight to Syria, and the musicians from the ensemble were flying, they could carry something with these musical instruments, someone that -that could have been planted. Believe me, such scattering of fragments happens only when an aircraft is destroyed in the air. It just explodes, and that's it. And when the liner just falls, it turns out an oily stain, and then parts float up. The plane, if it falls, dives into the water, simply disappears, it is found after some time. And then they even found a man who had already suffered from the wreckage in the coastal zone. This suggests that the debris fell to the ground in a random fall, which means it exploded in mid-air.

President of the Alpha Veterans Association Sergei Goncharov.

“With a high degree of probability, I can say that this is not a terrorist attack, for several reasons,” says Sergei Goncharov, president of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha Anti-Terror Unit. - First. This is an aircraft serviced by the Ministry of Defense, and, believe me, the discipline in the Ministry of Defense is still quite serious, and the people who serve these flights, they are verified people, of course, have all forms of admission in order to do this work.
Second. People flew on this plane, our comrades, who practically knew each other, and, as I understand it, no one put strangers on this plane. And the luggage that was there, of course, was checked by the very people who flew in this plane.
Third. The plane, as I understand it, was not in the air for so long, the sea water area provides opportunities, if it were an explosion or some kind of flash, then eyewitnesses would probably appear who could see it or, at least, could fix it ... And the last thing. The wreckage of the plane has already been found, which means that they are not so far scattered from each other, as happens with some ...
- One and a half kilometers for the sea, this distance, as you understand, is quite small. All this gives me reason to say that, as I understand it, one should be inclined to the versions either by the pilots' error, or by the refueling that took place that did not meet some criteria. In any case, it is necessary to express condolences to all the victims. Unfortunately, this tragedy darkened our pre-holiday days. But in any case, I think now the Ministry of Defense will thoroughly sort it out and dot the i's. The only thing that confuses me is why the crew could not give any information to the dispatchers. This is a fact that I cannot yet answer, I think the investigation will answer.

Sergei Alekseevich, there must have been similar events in the tragic world practice. And why the crew, if we try to understand now by analogies on the parallels, could not do the very first thing that, probably, every pilot does, if he understands that the situation is beyond the usual normal one - to send a distress signal? Using the example of other situations, can you explain how events could have developed, why could this have happened?

- If we are talking about a terrorist act, then in an explosion on board the aircraft or in the luggage compartment, the communication system immediately disappears, and, technically, the ship commander cannot give the dispatcher any information. Apparently, if there was some technical short circuit, some technical problem that prevented the crew from contacting the dispatchers (I repeat once again, this is a problem that will be dealt with after the wreckage has been lifted) ... there was a terrorist attack, at the moment, in any case, there would be indirect data about what happened on the plane, in particular, an outbreak, an explosion, or at least we would have some new, albeit subjective or indirect, hints about that the plane was blown up or crashed in the air by an explosion.

From official sources:

"Previously, during the climb, the crew encountered a technical malfunction of a critical nature, which led to a catastrophe," said an Interfax source in the emergency services.
According to a Pravda.ru source at the operational headquarters, “so far, according to preliminary data, the situation is as follows. The pilot and the crew, and in the case of the Tu-154, it was enlarged, were professional, they had no flight accidents - everyone is almost sure that this is not a human factor. Pro captain, navigator participated in the landing of the "tumbling" Tu-154.
This is not a terrorist attack, too, with a probability close to one - the plane is serviced, controlled in a special zone, control at the Sochi airport has been tight since the Olympics. Weather conditions, let's say, are not the best, yesterday they closed Simferopol due to the weather and Sochi was a spare, but they were still flying. Unless, of course, the liner fell into an accidentally formed sudden tornado. Or a flock of birds, which "plugged" all the engines simultaneously on takeoff, at the moment of full thrust - there is an ornithopark nearby. Most likely there is a technical malfunction, and so instantaneous and critical, such as switching the stabilizer to a dive in Rostov, that the crew did not have time for it. work out, nor report. Because even the failure of two engines on the Tu-154 does not kill, the crew would one way or another put the liner on the water.

And it's stupid when they talk about an old plane, about "it has already been banned." It was not banned, but taken out of use by commercial airlines, because it consumes a lot of fuel, the noise exceeds the norms, and really its internal environment cannot be compared with the Boeing or Airbus. An airplane has no "old age", it has airworthiness - it is either flyable or not. Douglases of 50-60 years fly in the USA. I will say more, "black boxes" - parametric recorders have already been located, they will be lifted by specialists with bathyscaphes. All debris and bodies, of course, will also be raised - 70 meters is now available depths. " What happened is an undeniable tragedy. The reasons will be sorted out, since the investigation is taken under the tightest control at the highest level. Decryptions of black boxes will also provide additional information. Now the bodies of the dead have already begun to be lifted. According to TASS, by noon, four bodies were found and recovered.

In Sochi, an operational headquarters has been created and is operating to receive the relatives of the killed aircraft passengers. At the Sochi airport, teams of psychological and psychiatric care are on duty. The mayor of the city held an emergency meeting of the Commission for Emergency Situations. "The Kommersant correspondent in the Krasnodar Territory reports that local residents at the time of the disaster did not see the outbreak and did not hear the explosion," the press notes.
Politonline.ru sources in the FSB of Russia also explained why everyone who approached the liner, serviced it and engaged in technical training was being checked. "The version of the terrorist attack is not a priority, but it must also be worked out. Yes, the FSB checks everyone who contacted the dead aircraft, they look at the records, conduct polls to exclude the version, and not because they are" secretly investigating. "

Test pilot, Hero of the Russian Federation, Anatoly Knyshov:

- Tu-154 is a completely reliable aircraft, which is operated not only in the Ministry of Defense, but also in civil aviation. It has established itself as reliable and comfortable. The fact that there were military specialists on this board indicates that the plane was in full readiness. Because before each flight is checked - this type of aircraft, it has a certain admission, airworthiness certification.
What happened ... In aviation, everything can be, but after takeoff, when the engines are operating in takeoff mode and the crew has no information about any malfunctions of individual systems or engines, otherwise, if such information was available, the pilot would follow the instructions would turn around, land at the departure airfield. In this situation, we can say that, apparently, something was still on board. Because planes don't just fall down, they don't crash landings. But why the crew did not provide information about what happened to him is also a question.

- What are the options for the complete failure of systems on board?

- One of the options is the failure of three engines. But in any case, the crew informs the dispatch service, informs the Ministry of Defense about one reason or another. In this situation, in my opinion, a sharp loss of communication, a sharp depressurization of the aircraft led to the fact that the crew could not, did not have time to report the reason that happened on board.

Anatoly Nikolaevich, now, when they say that the board was refueling in Sochi, could low-quality fuel cause an emergency? Or is it rather an exception to the rule now?

- When refueling takes place at any airport, both on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad, the crew and the crew that serve (and I think that there is a technical crew on this board that serves this type of aircraft), they must check the type of fuel by the passport , its characteristics and so-called fuel samples are taken even before refueling. Therefore, I cannot yet say that this is the reason for low-quality fuel, only the commission can determine that they will definitely take samples at the crash site (the remaining fuel will be somewhere in any case). They will be able to find out the quality of the fuel, and the state of the systems, and the readiness of the crew. Because in any case, if there were low-quality fuel, it would be impossible to simultaneously fail three engines, which could lead to such a catastrophe. The reason is explosive. There is an audible alarm, a light alarm that warns the crew about a particular malfunction. This warning didn't work. Because the warning works for the crew, provides information with the aim of the crew competently and correctly fulfilling those recommendations, what they worked out already in ground conditions. It is sad that this is happening with our colleagues, precisely from the Ministry of Defense, precisely with those who were heading there, to the hot spot, where they could support our servicemen before the New Year. This is a tragedy that we will all experience.

Now the search is underway. Among other things, there was information that the search for the aircraft in the Black Sea is being carried out by 7 sea vessels, the Mi-8 helicopter from the Sochi airport has joined in the search. But there was information that the possible point where the plane crashed was in the mountains. Can you explain why such conflicting information is coming in now?

- Any plane that takes off is monitored by dispatching services, locators and help the crew to correctly build the trajectory to enter the route. If they are dodging somewhere, the dispatcher says: you are dodging. Because on this airway there are probably several types of aircraft - in the opposite direction, in the same direction. And the dispatch service controls and is responsible to some extent for the safety of being on this route. But even if the dispatcher service, the locators could not notice where the mark from this type of aircraft is ... Because each dispatcher displays the type of aircraft and its call sign on the screen. And when this tag disappears, a command is immediately given to the search service (in this case, these are helicopters that are now searching in the area of ​​possible tag disappearance). And the situation in the mountains may be such that they have dropped below the detection zone.

- And what could be the reason for this behavior of the crew?

- It could be the explosive nature of the plane itself, that is, an explosion could have occurred, and no one could report - neither the correspondents who were there, nor the crew itself. I cannot suggest anything else here.

PS. Almost the entire choir of the Alexandrov ensemble died

The deceased director of the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Elizaveta Glinka. She was also on board the crashed plane.

Dead journalists.

PS2. Regarding the rejoicing monsters from Ukraine and Russia, in this regard, it can be noted that at such moments the difference between people and moral monsters is well manifested.

Alexey Pushkov: Those killed in the crash are heroes of the war on terror

Alexey Pushkov, Chairman of the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy, commented on the plane crash in Sochi.

“Those killed in the crash flew to Syria to support our military. They are all heroes of the war on terror. Their flight, their impulse was interrupted. Their spirit is alive, ”he wrote.

Those killed in the crash flew to Syria to support our military. They are all heroes of the war on terror. Their flight, their impulse was interrupted. Their spirit is alive.

Recall that during a scheduled flight from the Sochi airfield after takeoff, the Tu-154 aircraft disappeared from the radar radars. Later, the military department reported that fragments of the Tu-154 hull were found 1.5 kilometers from the Black Sea coast of Sochi at a depth of 50-70 meters. Among the passengers were journalists from Channel One, NTV, the Zvezda TV channel, musicians from the Alexandrov ensemble, as well as Doctor Liza.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared nationwide mourning in the country in connection with the crash of a Russian plane in the Black Sea.

He stated this during an emergency press conference.

"Tomorrow in Russia will be declared a nationwide mourning," Putin said.

Recall that during a scheduled flight from the Sochi airfield after the takeoff of the Tu-154 aircraft, it disappeared from the radar. Later, the military department reported that fragments of the Tu-154 hull were found 1.5 kilometers from the Black Sea coast of Sochi at a depth of 50-70 meters. Among the passengers were journalists from Channel One, NTV, the Zvezda TV channel, musicians from the Alexandrov ensemble, as well as Doctor Liza.

The deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, singer, Joseph Kobzon was supposed to fly on the Tu-154 plane of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation that crashed over the Black Sea to Syria. This was reported on December 25 by TASS with reference to the people's artist.

“On the 14th we had a concert with them in the Hall of Columns, and Valery Khalilov (the head of the Alexandrov ensemble - approx.) Asked me to fly with them, but I said that I had a medical visa and I had to fly for treatment, especially that I, together with them and with Khalilov, visited Syria once. So I said, next time, sometime. But you see how the next time I turned around "

Kobzon said.

He assured that, if offered, he would be ready to speak again for Russian military personnel in Syria.

“I am sincerely sorry, for me this is just shocking news. This is a great tragedy for culture, for an army audience. They flew on a combat mission "

Russian TV channel published the first video of the wreckage of the crashed Tu-154

The Russian TV channel Life showed the first footage from the crash site of the Russian Defense Ministry plane, which fell into the Black Sea. The sent footage shows the wreckage of the Tu-154 military board in the water.

The media published a video of the rescue operation in the area of ​​the Tu-154 crash

The first video of the rescue operation in the area of ​​the crash of the Tu-154 Ministry of Defense aircraft appeared.

Recall that during a scheduled flight from the Adler airfield after the takeoff of the Tu-154 aircraft, it disappeared from the radar. Later, the military department reported that fragments of the Tu-154 hull were found 1.5 kilometers from the Black Sea coast of Sochi at a depth of 50-70 meters. Among the passengers were journalists from Channel One, NTV, the Zvezda TV channel and 68 musicians from the Alexandrov ensemble, as well as Doctor Liza.

The media again returned to the death of the Tu-154 near Sochi, the military plane in which the Alexandrov ensemble died - as they say, the cultural symbol of the Russian army, and Elizaveta Glinka- Dr. Lisa, Mother Teresa of our Northern Spaces. And several more teams of journalists were killed, a total of 92 people.

Tu-154 flew from Moscow, from the Chkalovsky military airfield to Syria, to Damascus to raise the morale of the Russian Aerospace Forces personnel at the Khmeimim airbase on the New Year's Eve.

Flight was like flight, crew commanded by a pilot Volkova have already flown this route more than once. At the Chkalovsky military airfield, near Moscow, it is known that this is a military airfield, the mouse, it would seem, will not slip through, everyone plunged aboard. The board followed to Damascus over the Caspian Sea, then had to refuel in Mozdok, fly over Iran, Iraq and across all of Syria to Damascus.

But this time Mozdok was closed and the board flew to refuel in Adler over the Caucasus, from the Caspian to the Black Sea. For an airplane, it is like for a car to go to refuel at the nearest gas station, well, let's refuel at another, by the standards of air transport - a stone's throw.

In Adler, the board refueled, and supposedly no one got out and got on the plane in Adler. They took off, and after a couple of minutes disappeared from the radar. And then they found the wreckage of a Tu-154 in the Black Sea.

The newspapers wrote about all this in detail immediately after December 25. And they seem to have begun to forget about Tu. And suddenly, just before the murder in Kiev Voronenkova, and before the bulk of the riots in Moscow, suddenly again, look, a new portion of allegedly information about the death of Tu-154.

More precisely, this is not new information, but an interpretation of a piece of information that we already had.

Apparently somewhere in the high spheres of the managers of our mental health, they decided that the version of the pilot's error, which they carefully emphasized to us all these months, looks unconvincing and now they add interpretations.

I have memorized the main complaints about the pilots.

They (in fact, we are talking about one, the main pilot - the commander of the aircraft Volkov) are accused of things hitherto unheard of in the investigation of the death of aircraft, namely:

- loss of orientation in space;

- in an illusory perception of reality;

- the flight was at night and therefore difficult.

Say, the commander of the ship Volkov (now they began to say that 4 thousand hours flown by him are not enough to call him an experienced pilot, and earlier they said that Volkov was experienced), took the stars reflected in the sea for the stars in the sky and behaved accordingly, began to decrease, instead of taking off.

Against such defamation of their deceased comrade, fellow pilots were outraged. Still some significant part of them.

They said that night flights are common and half of the flights are night flights, nothing extraordinary.

That in a night flight the commander of the ship "looks only at the instruments", because what are the stars there! That the Tu-154 has a large flight crew, that several crew members continuously report to the commander and the altitude and everything that is needed.

True, among fellow pilots there were those who actually blamed the death of Tu pilot, one "comrade" said so, I have already quoted him that 4 thousand flown flights are not enough, he romantically said that “only after 10 thousand flown flights, the pilot begins to feel bird ".

Returning to the formulations given in the media, in particular, to these "loss of orientation in space" and to "illusory perception of reality", I said to myself: excuse me, but these are the symptoms of what happens to the pilot during an electronic attack.

The version of the electronic attack was at one time swept aside by the investigation.

But she was. And the supporters of this version referred to interesting data.

On the eve of the tragedy, it turns out that the French reconnaissance ship Dupuy de Lome entered the Black Sea, which can knock out all the electronics of the aircraft with a radio pulse.

The authors of the version argued that an electronic attack on the Tu-154 could have been made from this ship. Russia also has means of electronic jamming, the supporters of the version argued, they say, nothing fantastical, but the board was military, so those who attacked themselves as bloodsuckers and murderers might not feel.

The status of the flight was the highest that exists (a military ensemble, even a conductor, lieutenant general, a flight to Syria, and the like of international political importance).

The nature of the debris and the nature of the injuries inflicted on the bodies (the divers claimed that they were finely-finely chopped into gruel), as well as the scattering of the debris over a long distance, indicate an explosion on board. If the plane broke into the water, the debris would be large. And the bodies would not have been finely chopped.

And finally, even the fact that the next morning all civilian ships were forbidden to go to sea in that area, and another fact: the National Guard was set up at the coastal edge, they say that they are hiding from us the true cause of Tu's death.

And now the second batch of misinformation. Apparently, the top decided that you and I may still have doubts about the veracity of the accusations of all the pilots.

Therefore, they additionally fall on them. A well-known trick in the criminal world - murders are always hung on dead comrades.

Now about the airfield in Chkalovsky.

Pilot Krasnopyorov: “I flew from Chkalovsky to the east. And there was no inspection, with security much worse than at civilian airports. "

Writer Limonov: “And I flew from Chkalovsky ... There was no inspection, neither the passports were looked, nor the luggage was checked. Well, okay, I am a famous person, but there were three guards with me, and they did not demand their passports or inspect their luggage. "

MOSCOW, December 25 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. December 2016 left another terrible date in the historical calendar of Russia. Exactly one year ago, over the Black Sea, the Catastrophe claimed the lives of 92 people. Pilots, our fellow journalists, the famous volunteer doctor Elizaveta Glinka. And 64 military musicians of the Academic Twice Red Banner Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after Alexander Alexandrov. On December 25, 2016, the legendary collective lost its best soloists, the first line-up. The passengers of the military flight flew to the Khmeimim airbase to congratulate the Russian soldiers and officers who were liberating Syria from terrorists for the second year. The causes of the disaster have not been fully clarified even today. About current versions - in the material of RIA Novosti.

Old but reliable

The RA-85572 was hardly new. It was built at the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant in 1983. By December 2016, the 33-year-old Tu-154 managed to fly 6689 hours. However, for aircraft of this type, the age limit is 40 years, and the resource is 60 thousand flight hours. Over the entire period of operation, it has never seriously broken down, and the last scheduled repair took place in 2014. A few days before the disaster, some difficulties arose with the board - the airfield services discovered a fuel leak from the wing tank. But the problems were promptly eliminated, the work was accepted by the military acceptance. Before departure on December 25, 2016, the board passed all the necessary checks, it was recognized as fully serviceable and ready for a long flight.

The plane took off after refueling at Sochi airport at 05:25 Moscow time. The liner was piloted by 35-year-old Major Roman Volkov, who has flown more than three thousand hours during his practice. The weather conditions that morning were favorable: visibility was about 10 kilometers, the air temperature was minus five degrees, the height of the cloud base was 1000 meters, the wind speed did not exceed four meters per second. The separation of the aircraft from the runway (runway) occurred at the 37th second after the start of the takeoff run, at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The crew made two 90-degree turns to the starboard side and headed east. At 05:27, the Tu-154 disappeared from the radar screens and fell into the sea 1.6 kilometers from the coast and six kilometers from the edge of the runway. The flight lasted only 70 seconds.

Soon after the tragedy, the military investigative department of the Investigative Committee (IC) for the Sochi garrison opened a criminal case under article 351 of the Russian Criminal Code - "Violation of flight rules, entailing grave consequences." Later, the case was transferred to the central office of the UK. The FSB of Russia took over the operational support of the investigation. In addition, a commission of the Ministry of Defense was created, headed by the Deputy Minister, General of the Army Pavel Popov. At the end of December, Lieutenant General Sergei Bainetov, head of the Aviation Safety Service of the Armed Forces, said that initially more than 15 versions of the plane crash were being worked out. Later, their number decreased.

Human factor

The first versions of the reasons for the crash the day after the plane crash were announced by the FSB of Russia: foreign objects hitting the engine, low-quality fuel, a piloting error or a technical malfunction of the aircraft. The representatives of the investigation emphasized that the aircraft did not carry military or dual-use cargo. No signs of a sabotage or terrorist act were found either. In Sochi, only two border guards and a customs officer boarded the plane.

The expert community also voiced several versions, including quite exotic ones. In particular, it was assumed that the Tu-154 could open fire from a portable anti-aircraft missile system, which entailed the destruction of the glider in the air. In addition, experts did not exclude that the fatal mistake could have been made by the co-pilot Alexander Rovensky, who confused the landing gear and flap control levers. For this reason, the plane could not gain altitude, began to fall and hit the water with its tail.

Later, experts studied the issue of the ship's workload. In April, the media reported that the crash could have occurred due to the overload of the liner. Then the journalists argued that instead of the normative 98 tons, the weight of the aircraft during takeoff allegedly amounted to more than 110 tons. As a result, the Ministry of Defense did not find "violations of the current requirements regarding the seating of passengers in the Tu-154 cabin, as well as the loading and centering of the transported cargo."

"According to the results of the investigation, it was established that the cause of the incident could have been a violation of spatial orientation - the situational awareness of the aircraft commander, which led to his erroneous actions," representatives of the military department announced their version at the end of May.

To put a point early

Earlier, the journalists of the Kommersant newspaper came to similar conclusions, having published their own investigation, supported by the comments of informed sources. It was argued, in particular, that the pilot Roman Volkov began to experience difficulties in determining his position on the ground - he could not understand from which of the two lanes he was to take off. According to the newspaper, the aircraft commander stopped navigating in space immediately after takeoff. Instead of trusting the readings of the instruments, as required by all flight instructions, pilot Volkov began to rely on his own physiological sensations. The vestibular apparatus "informed" him that the car was gaining altitude too quickly, so the major began to lower the nose of the plane. This, according to Kommersant, led to the crash.

However, the Investigative Committee, which has already extended the investigation period several times, should put an end to the clarification of the causes of the disaster. Last Wednesday, a source familiar with the situation told RIA Novosti that the specialists would need several more months. According to him, the repeated suspensions are due to the need for additional investigative actions and the collection of comprehensive evidence in the criminal case.

"It is quite possible that this is not the last extension of the investigation period due to the fact that a complex examination is being carried out, which cannot be completed in a short time," the source emphasized.

The crash of the Tu-154 aircraft of the 223rd flying squadron of the Russian Ministry of Defense was one of the biggest tragedies of the outgoing year. There were 92 people on board, all of whom died. In each such case, different versions of what happened are inevitable. "Lenta.ru" tried to understand what was happening.

NB: Everything that has been said below about the causes of the aircraft accident is a statement of versions that have not yet been officially confirmed. Until the publication of the official conclusions on the results of the investigation into the causes of the disaster, none of these versions can be considered true.

Circumstances

The Tu-154B-2 aircraft, tail number RA-85572, produced in 1983 at the Kuibyshev aircraft plant (now the Aviakor plant), was operated almost all the time by the Ministry of Defense - first as part of the 8th Special Purpose Air Division of the USSR Air Force, then created in 1993 of the 223rd flight detachment.

As of the day of the crash, the aircraft had about 11 percent of its flight life with an average flight time of just over 200 hours per year, which is relatively low for passenger airliners that operate in civil aviation with an intensity of 1000 or more hours per year. The assigned resource of the board was 37,500 hours, or 16 thousand landings, while it could be extended to 60 thousand hours and 22 thousand landings.

Tu-154B-2 has already been taken out of commercial operation due to non-compliance with accepted noise standards and high fuel consumption, but military vehicles are still in service.

The aircraft operator - the 223rd flight squadron of the Ministry of Defense, a Russian state aviation enterprise - provides air transportation in the interests of government agencies and performs irregular cargo and passenger transportation, as a rule, of personnel of the armed forces. The enterprise was organized on the basis of the 8th Special Purpose Aviation Division (8 adOSNAZ, 8 adon) of the Russian Air Force in Chkalovsky in accordance with the order of the President of the Russian Federation dated January 15, 1993 No. detachments of the Russian Ministry of Defense "for air transportation in the interests of government agencies.

The plane took off from the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow and was supposed to land for refueling in Mozdok, however, due to weather conditions, the refueling airfield was changed to Sochi. The liner took off from Sochi at 05:25 and fell, according to available data, having spent two minutes in the air until the moment of the disaster.

The destination of the flight was the Russian Khmeimim airbase in Syria. The plane of the artists of the Aleksandrov military ensemble, journalists and the servicemen accompanying them. In addition, Elizaveta Glinka, known as Doctor Lisa, and the head of the culture department of the Ministry of Defense, Anton Gubankov, were on board.

Versions

The main publicly discussed versions of what happened are reduced to three: equipment malfunction, piloting error, terrorist act. A concomitant circumstance for the first two could be the weather, however, the available data on the actual weather conditions in Sochi at the time of the disaster suggest that they were quite acceptable:

Visibility 10 kilometers or more. Cloudiness in several layers: the lower layer is 5-7 octants (eighths), with the lower edge of 1000 meters, above it there is another layer, solid with the lower edge, 2800 meters, temperature +5, dew point +1, pressure of about 763 millimeters of mercury. The runways are dry. East wind 5 meters per second. At sea - wave height up to 0.1 meters.

All three versions can neither be confirmed nor ruled out until the official conclusions of the commission of inquiry, but one can try to "spread out on the table" the available information at least in order to streamline it.

The last time the RA-85572 was repaired was in December 2014, and in September 2016 it underwent scheduled maintenance. The total flight time of the aircraft for 33 years of operation was 6689 hours.

This age and resource is completely normal for liners in military operation. Thus, one of the main cargo-passenger aircraft of the US Air Force, the C-135 Stratolifter, built from 1956 to 1965, is still in operation, and the total service life of these aircraft may approach a century - they will remain in the Air Force at least until 2040 -s.

By itself, the Tu-154 belongs to reliable machines, at the same time, no aircraft are insured against technical problems, and, of course, this version will be one of the main ones.

The crew of the crashed liner is characterized as experienced. The Tu-154, which crashed in the Black Sea, was piloted by the first class pilot Roman Volkov.

“The Tu-154 aircraft of the military transport aviation of the Russian Defense Ministry was flown by an experienced pilot, Roman Alexandrovich Volkov. Roman Volkov is a first class pilot. The total flight time is more than three thousand hours, "- in the military department to a TASS correspondent.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Petukhov - navigator of the crashed Tu-154B-2 - in April 2011 participated in the rescue "". Then the plane of the same model landed at Chkalovsky airport with a faulty control system. The Tu-154B-2 RA-88563 was planned to be overtaken for repairs in Samara. After the takeoff of the aircraft, problems were found in the operation of its control system. The plane began to sway in the air and bounce, which was noticeable from the ground. Journalists later called the liner dancing.

Nevertheless, the plane managed to return to the runway in Chkalovsky thanks to the skillful actions of the crew. Petukhov was the navigator of the "dancing liner", along with his colleagues he was awarded the Order of Courage.

At the same time, taking off from coastal airfields has always been not the easiest procedure, and the Tu-154, especially in version "B", is described by many pilots as a rather strict aircraft in control, making high demands on the pilot, which also does not allow to dismiss the version on the fly. possible tragic mistake. According to the civil aviation pilots, the experience of three thousand and a half hours for the commander of a car of this class is not enough.

Finally, given the political situation, a version of a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out, including due to the specific features of the organization of military flights. Unfortunately, the severity of screening and security on military passenger flights is much less than on commercial airlines. As noted by many military personnel and civilians who have experience flying with the Ministry of Defense planes from Chkalovsky and other military airfields, pre-flight inspection on such flights often comes down to an empty formality in the form of checking passenger lists with documents, especially when “your” team is flying. When flying abroad - to the same Syria - it is somewhat stricter (border formalities are included), but even in this case it does not compare with traditional measures in most civilian airports in developed countries.

Under these conditions, it is possible to assume the presence of an explosive device on board, which could have been placed in the luggage of the liner during loading or carried on board during an intermediate landing in Sochi. In any case, the likelihood of such a development of events does not exclude the special services, which have begun checking those who could have access to the plane at the airport of departure and in Sochi.

A variation of the version of the terrorist attack is the assumption put forward in some media about an attack on an aircraft using a portable anti-aircraft missile system, which could have been carried out by terrorists either from a boat or from residential buildings on the coast, but this option is hardly possible, given that the deceased liner should have to land in Mozdok, and if they intended to attack him during landing / take-off from the refueling airfield, he would be expected there.

Anyway, the investigation has just begun. A plane crash into the sea can seriously complicate it - the steep depth difference in the Sochi area, where the continental slope at an angle of 45 degrees goes down sharply, by 500, 1000 or more meters, and a thick layer of silt will greatly complicate the search for the wreckage of the liner. The Il-18V plane that died in the same area in 1972 fell a little further from the coast - at a distance of about 10 kilometers, but its wreckage went to a depth of 500 to 1000 meters, and neither large parts of the fuselage and wings, nor flight recorders could be found ...

Taking these conditions into account, every hour matters: with every hour, the debris submerged under the water will sink deeper and deeper. This, obviously, is understood by all responsible persons - the diving elite of the Emergencies Ministry and the Russian Navy are being deployed in Sochi - deep divers from all four fleets, with special equipment and underwater vehicles.

The Tu-154 aircraft of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation crashed in the Black Sea. The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday morning that the mark of the Tu-154 aircraft, which was performing a scheduled flight from the Adler airfield, had disappeared from the radar. The Ministry of Defense clarified that fragments of the Tu-154 corps were found 1.5 kilometers from the Black Sea coast of Sochi at a depth of 50-70 meters.

In total, there were 92 people on board, including 64 artists of the Alexandrov ensemble, almost the entire choir and part of the orchestra's musicians - bayan and balalaika players.

UPDATE 19:50

The head of the Russian Ministry of Transport, Maxim Sokolov, who heads the government commission to investigate the Tu-154 disaster of the Ministry of Defense, said that the equipment on board the plane apparently worked out of order. On Thursday, December 29, RIA Novosti reported.

“When the plane hit the water surface and, subsequently, the bottom of the Black Sea, it almost completely collapsed, which, of course, complicated the search operation,” he added. Sokolov also urged to refrain from distributing any versions of the Tu-154 crash until the final announcement of the results of the commission's work.

UPDATE 15:20

Experts of the interdepartmental commission to investigate the causes of the fall of the Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense in the Black Sea are studying the fragments of the plane that the rescuers raised to the surface. According to Life, experts were puzzled by the damage to the engine turbine blades. On the one hand, this detail unequivocally rejects the version of a bird hitting the turbine, on the other hand, it indicates that the engine may have been malfunctioning before the flight. Now the damaged turbine blades will be examined in detail by experts, after which they will give an unambiguous answer whether they were deformed when hitting the water or appeared even before the crash. In addition, after a preliminary study of the Tu-154's right wing found in the sea, experts established that the flap on one wing was extended, but it is not yet clear which command he was executing at that time - takeoff or descent.

In one of the special hangars in Sochi, the layout of Tu-154 parts has already begun, which are daily lifted from the bottom of the Black Sea by divers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Defense. The first engine, along with the landing gear, was found in the morning of December 27, and the second was raised by the evening. The second, as it turned out, had almost no deformation, rescuers said.

In theory, now these "puzzles" should form a model of the aircraft as close as possible to the original form. The experts of the interdepartmental commission already have large fragments in their hands: the tail section of the Tu-154 with engines, the central part of the fuselage, and the right wing. These details are now being carefully studied to understand the trajectory and angle of entry of the aircraft into the water, as well as the circumstances that could lead to its crash.

UPDATE 13:20

The Chkalovsk air base, which included the Tu-154 crashed in Sochi, will be reorganized next year, and the Special Forces Aviation Division (ADON) will be re-created on its basis. The newspaper "Izvestia" writes about this.

As the newspaper notes, the reconstituted division will be based at the Chkalovsky military airfield near Moscow, and its formation will begin early next year. This information was officially confirmed to Izvestia by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Before the disbandment in 2010, the planes and helicopters of the special purpose division transported and, if necessary, evacuated Soviet and Russian military personnel and civilian specialists from hot spots around the planet, the newspaper notes.

UPDATE 12:00

The reason for the crash of the Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense, which fell on the morning of December 25 in the Black Sea near Sochi, has been preliminarily established - this is a stall when the speed is insufficient to climb due to a flap misalignment. Interfax reported this on the evening of December 27, citing a source in the operational headquarters at the scene of the emergency.

- According to preliminary data, the flaps on board worked mismatchedly, as a result of their failure to exit, the lift was lost, the speed was not sufficient to climb, and the plane fell, - said the source of the agency.

According to him, the reason why the flaps could work abnormally has not been established. There is no official confirmation of this information.

The flap hypothesis emerged immediately after the crash. So, "Kommersant" wrote that a critical malfunction could lead to their mismatch.

- A special automatic system SPZ-1A monitors the uniform extension of the flaps on the Tu-154, which in case of a mismatch turns off their hydraulic drive, suggesting the pilot switch to manual control of the flaps. However, in the event of, for example, a break in the flap drive, the SPZ-1A is powerless, the newspaper noted.

On the eve of the FSB of Russia, the main working versions of the Tu-154 crash were called "foreign objects entering the engine, poor-quality fuel, which resulted in a loss of power and engine failure, a piloting error and a technical malfunction of the aircraft."

UPDATE 09:30

Experts have decoded the voice recorder of the crashed Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The tape recording the crew's conversations and conversations inside the cockpit was not damaged.

The conversation is interrupted when one of the pilots exclaims: "Flaps, bitch!" And then a cry sounds: "Commander, we are falling!", - said a source close to the investigation.

According to him, the second recorder, parametric, has not yet been delivered to the Central Research Institute of the Air Force and it is not known when its decoding will begin.

UPDATE 14:40

Divers found one of the flight recorders at the crash site of the Tu-154 of the Ministry of Defense in the Black Sea. TASS was informed about this in the power structures.

- During the search work, one black box was found under the cockpit. It will be removed from the water in the near future, the source said.

Also, the interlocutor said that the bodies of three victims and a large number of remains were found in the area of ​​the crash.

UPDATE 21:20

In the regional capital, a mourning action of farewell to the victims who died as a result of the plane crash of the Ministry of Defense in the Black Sea was held. It was attended by deputies of the Zak Duma and the City Duma, the military and not indifferent townspeople.

The event took place near the monument to the Su-7B attack aircraft near the Portovaya stop. The laying ceremony took place in the dark on purpose, so that after the end of the working day, people could pay tribute and memory to the victims. This is what made it possible for almost a hundred people to come to the action.

- This is a terrible tragedy. In absolutely any situation, every life is important, and now the whole of Russia is united. The population of a large country grieves and expresses condolences to the relatives of the crew. It's nice that so many people were able to find the time to come today to say goodbye to the dead. If someone did not have time to join us, then he can come to honor people later. The main desire is, - said Ruslan Verkhoturov, co-organizer.

In turn, representatives of the city and regional authorities took the floor. They talked about personal memories of their acquaintances with Elizaveta Glinka, who headed the charitable foundation, and Valery Khalilov, the creator of the Amur Waves festival of military orchestras. This was followed by a minute of silence and the laying of flowers began.

- It is very sad that people die in peacetime. Proceedings will now take place, work will be done to prevent this from happening in the future. This should not be, and I hope that this will not happen again, - said Alisa Selezneva, a student.

UPDATE 19:20

The terrorist attack is not the main version of the Tu-154 crash. Experts also do not see the need for additional security measures at the airports of the Russian Federation.

- As far as we know, the main versions do not include the version of the terrorist act. We proceed from the assumption that the causes of the disaster could be either technical condition or piloting errors. But I will emphasize that this is established by the investigation, as well as by a special technical commission of the Ministry of Defense, - said the Minister of Transport of Russia.

UPDATE 16:15

Experts have analyzed the data of objective control from radar systems in order to more accurately determine the flight path of the crashed Tu-154. They found out that the plane fell six kilometers from the coast, according to the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Currently, 39 ships and boats, 135 divers and seven deep-sea vehicles are conducting prospecting work. Soldiers are also inspecting the shore in search of the bodies of the dead, the wreckage of the aircraft and the personal belongings of passengers. In total, about 3.5 thousand people are involved in the operation.

UPDATE 16:06

The artist's Khabarovsk colleagues honored the memory of the deceased Valery Khalilov.

Khabarovsk residents bring flowers to Glory Square. Valery Khalilov's colleagues took out a music stand to the Square of Glory, on which there was a photograph of the conductor with a mourning ribbon. Musicians and not indifferent Khabarovsk citizens laid flowers and candles to the music stand.

UPDATE 15:30

Among those flying was a 46-year-old Lieutenant Colonel of the Eastern Military District, Alexander Vaganov. He was on board the TU-154, which took off from Sochi early Sunday morning.

UPDATE 15:20

The first plane with 10 bodies of those killed in the Tu-154 crash flew to Moscow, the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Russian Defense Ministry told Interfax.

- The Il-76 military transport aircraft with 10 bodies and 86 fragments found at the crash site flew to Moscow, where their identification and genetic examination will be carried out by specialists of the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination and 111 of the Center for Forensic Science of the Ministry of Defense of Russia, - said an employee of the department ...

UPDATES 13:40

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, decided to immortalize the memory of the head of the Fair Help Foundation Elizaveta Glinka, who died in the Tu-154 plane crash over the Black Sea, and to assign her name to the Republican Children's Clinical Hospital in Grozny.

UPDATE 12:30

Who will be in charge of "Amur Waves" after the death of Valery Khalilov is still unknown.

- The festival is still very far away. We are shocked by the tragedy and, of course, have not had time to discuss anything yet. It is difficult to say who will curate the festival after Valery Mikhailovich's death. We will resolve this issue. An incredible loss for the cultural life of the whole country, - the directorate of the Amur Waves festival told DVhab.

UPDATE 12:10

The Cupid - Admiral match will begin in Vladivostok with a minute of silence in memory of those killed in the plane crash.

UPDATE 10:40

The limits of compensation for the crash of Tu-154 for the military will be about 7.8 million rubles, for civilians - 3 million rubles, said the President of the All-Russian Union of Insurers Igor Yurgens. He explained that everyone on board the aircraft is entitled to payments of 2 million rubles under the Air Code.

In addition to this payment, the amount of compensation is added up for the military as follows:
For compulsory insurance of military personnel (insurance is carried out in accordance with Law No. 52-FZ), a payment in the event of death in the amount of 2.337 million rubles is required. In addition, the insurer is authorized to make lump sum payments in the event of the death of a serviceman or his recognition as unfit for military service. The size of the allowance for the death of a serviceman is 3.506 million rubles. Subsequently, they are compensated to the insurer from the budget.

UPDATE 10:20 AM

The country's chief military conductor, Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov was among the passengers of the crashed Tu-154 plane of the Russian Defense Ministry, which crashed on December 25 in the Black Sea. Valery Khalilov initiated the Amur Waves International Festival of Military Orchestras in the Khabarovsk Territory, which was created with his direct support and participation. Since 2012, Valery Khalilov has come to Khabarovsk every year to participate in the festival.

From 2002 to 2016, Valery Khalilov was the head of the military orchestra service of the Russian Federation, chief military conductor. In this position, he has repeatedly acted as the conductor of the combined military orchestra that took part in the parades dedicated to Victory Day on Red Square.

In April 2016, Khalilov was appointed head of the ensemble - artistic director of the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after A.V. Alexandrov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared December 26 a national day of mourning for the citizens of the Russian Federation who died on Sunday in the Tu-154 plane crash of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, flying to Syria at the Khmeimim airbase of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

UPDATE 19:20

Search and rescue operations at the crash site of an airship in the Black Sea near Sochi continue. Russian law enforcement agencies, within the framework of the initiated criminal case, are investigating the reasons and circumstances of the crash of the liner, which resulted in the death of 92 people.

- Plane crash, which killed the ensemble of them. Aleksandrova is a tragedy of enormous proportions, because Russia has lost the best, - said Russian singer Lev Leshchenko during a special broadcast of the Baltkom-online program on the Latvian radio station Baltkom.

UPDATE 17:50

The Tu-154 aircraft of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation disappeared from the radar screens a few minutes after its departure from Sochi. According to preliminary information, there were 82 passengers and ten crew members on board. This was reported by a source in the emergency services.

- The Tu-154 plane took off from Sochi, but after a few minutes it disappeared from the radar screens, - said the interlocutor.

UPDATE 16:20

The Emergencies Ministry confirmed the discovery of the crash site of the Tu-154 aircraft in the Black Sea, TASS reports. People have not yet been found.

UPDATE 16:05

The source of "Interfax" in the emergency services of the Krasnodar Territory reports on the discovery of the site of the alleged fall of the Tu-154.

- During the survey of the water area 6-8 kilometers from the coast, an oil slick was discovered, which, as it is assumed, could be the result of an aircraft falling in this place. Rescue ships are sent there, - says the interlocutor of the agency. There was still no official confirmation of the fall.

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