The black box from the Russian Tu-154 plane that crashed into the Black Sea on Christmas Day has revealed that faulty flaps were to blame, Russian media say.
A source close to the investigation told the private Interfax news agency that the flaps, panels on the wings that help lift an aircraft, did not open in sync.
The pro-Kremlin Life news website says this led the pilots to lose control as the plane was at a “critical angle”.
The website also quoted the crew’s last words, including: “The flaps, hell… !”
The ageing Tupolev Tu-154 plane came down off the Russian coast with the loss of all 92 passengers and crew.
On board were 64 members of the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble, as well as one of Russia’s best-known humanitarian figures, Yelizaveta Glinka.
The military jet was heading to Russia’s air force base in Syria where the choir was due to perform at a New Year’s concert.
Image source WIkimedia
The latest findings allegedly come from a cockpit conversation stored on the flight’s main data recorder, which was found underwater about a mile from the shore.
An earlier audio recording, played on Russian media, said to be of the final conversation between air traffic controllers and the plane’s crew, revealed no sign of difficulties.
However, Life, a new site which is close to the Russian security agencies, issued a transcript of the cockpit recording taken from the “black box”, indicating the two pilots were taken by surprise.
The plane crashed soon after take-off from an airport near the city of Sochi, where it had landed for refueling.
The aircraft disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from Adler airport at 05:23AM local time on Christmas Day.
According to the authorities, so far 15 bodies and 223 body fragments have been recovered from Black Sea.
The Tupolev plane involved in the crash was an old model no longer flown by airlines in Russia but still used by the military. It was 33 years old.
Russian investigators have so far ruled out terrorism as a possibility, instead concentrating on human error, a technical fault or a combination of factors as being responsible.
Russian search teams are continuing a huge operation in the Black Sea after a military plane with 92 people on board crashed on Christmas Day.
Some 3,500 people on ships, jets, helicopters and submersibles are involved in the operation near Sochi.
The Tupolev Tu-154 plane – carrying soldiers, members of famed Alexandrov army music ensemble and reporters – was heading for Syria.
All those on board are feared dead after yesterday’s crash.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a national day of mourning on Monday, December 26.
At a briefing on December 26, Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that search teams – including 139 divers – worked through the night in three shifts, and the operation “did not stop for a minute”.
Igor Konashenkov said that 11 bodies and “154 fragments” have been found since the operation began.
Image source WIkimedia
Overnight, he added, powerful spotlights were used to search the crash area.
The 4 square miles search area just off the coast had been extended, the spokesman said.
Ten of the bodies have already been sent back to Moscow for identification, media reports say.
On December 26, Russian Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov said that terrorism was not “among the main versions” of the possible causes of the crash.
He reiterated that investigators were looking into whether a pilot error or technical fault may have brought down the aircraft.
The minister earlier stressed that it was too early to speculate on possible crash causes.
Russian media quoted Aerospace Forces Commander Viktor Bondarev as saying that the plane’s black boxes had been located and they were not likely to have been damaged.
The aircraft disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from Sochi’s Adler airport at 05:25AM local time, heading for Latakia in Syria, the defense ministry said.
The flight had originated in Moscow and landed in Sochi for refueling.
It was carrying 64 members of the famed Alexandrov Ensemble, who were to perform for Russian troops in Syria.
An audio recording played on Russian media and said to be of the final conversation between air traffic controllers and the plane reveals no sign of any difficulties.
Voices remain calm until the plane disappears and the controllers try in vain to re-establish contact.
The plane came into service in 1983.
Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the plane was last serviced in September and had undergone more substantial repairs in December 2014. It had an “experienced” pilot, he said.
A Russian Tu-154 plane with 93 people on board has crashed into the Black Sea, the defense ministry has said.
The military plane disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from the resort of Sochi at 05:25AM local time. Debris and one body have been found, with no reports of any survivors.
The Russian defense ministry said the Tu-154 was carrying soldiers, 65 members of the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble, and nine reporters.
The plane was flying to Latakia in Syria.
The flight originated in Moscow and had landed at Adler airport in Sochi for refueling.
The Russian defense ministry said in a statement: “Fragments of the Tu-154 plane of the Russian defense ministry were found 1.5km [one mile] from the Black Sea coast of the city of Sochi at a depth of 50 to 70m [165-230ft.”
Image source WIkimedia
An audio recording played on Russian media and said to be of the final conversation between air traffic controllers and the plane reveals no sign of any difficulties being faced by the crew.
Voices remain calm until the plane disappears and the controllers try in vain to re-establish contact.
Reports from the area said flying conditions were favorable.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a state commission to look into the crash and sent his condolences to the families and friends of the victims.
The defense ministry has published a passenger list, showing that 65 of those on board were from the Alexandrov Ensemble, including its director, Valery Khalilov.
There were 9 journalists, 8 soldiers, two civil servants and eight crew members.
Also on board was Elizaveta Glinka, known as Dr. Liza, the executive director of the Fair Aid charity and the inaugural winner of Russia’s state prize for achievements in human rights.
The plane was carrying passengers to a New Year’s performance for Russian troops deployed in Syria.
The performance was scheduled to take place at Russia’s Hmeimim air base, near Latakia.
Russia has been carrying out air strikes in support of Syrian government forces who are battling rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
