What to do on the plane if an emergency occurs. “There was a powerful explosion on board”

The commander of the crashed Tu-154 managed to give a signal about an emergency situation on board

The commander of the Tu-154 that crashed in the Black Sea, Roman Volkov, was able to report problems on board, but there was very little information. This was stated by the head of the Aviation Flight Safety Service of the RF Armed Forces, Sergei Baynetov.

“I can say that the radio exchange was extremely short. You can imagine that the situation developed in 10 seconds. What can you say in 10 seconds?.. Therefore, analysis of the commander’s phrase indicates the beginning of a special situation, it doesn’t tell us anything else,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.

According to Baynetov, the entire flight took about 70 seconds. “The maximum altitude, which we determined from parametric information, was about 250 meters, at this level the speed is in the range of 360-370 kilometers per hour,” he said.

For now, it’s too early to even talk about what the angle was when it collided with the water surface.

“There are certain data, but nevertheless, you know, they are not entirely accurate. There is video information. I repeat that the process of analysis and combination of all these numerous factors is underway,” he answered the question that, according to some eyewitnesses, the nose of the plane was strongly tilted up before the fall.

“I cannot yet judge the reliability of this information. “I want to say that a lot of eyewitnesses offer their services, indeed, somehow everyone reacted with understanding to this tragedy... All this is checked, naturally, and verified with the objective information that exists,” he concluded.

On December 25, a Tu-154 plane crashed in the Black Sea a few minutes after taking off from Adler airport. 92 people died. In connection with the crash of the Tu-154, a criminal case was opened under Art. 351 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violation of flight rules resulting in grave consequences).

As someone who has served extensively in the Air Force and dealt with flight safety, I am also perplexed why such a competent commission to investigate the plane crash blamed the highly professional crew for their inability to cope with the emergency that arose on board.

Lost on earth?

The commission, apparently, was never able to thoroughly understand what happened during the 70 seconds of the flight.

“Before the plane crashed, the commander pressed the rudder pedals, as if he was trying to get around an unexpected obstacle.”

As is known, about a minute after lifting off from the runway, the Tu-154-B2 gained an altitude of about 250 meters and a speed of about 360–370 kilometers per hour. Immediately after this, “an emergency situation began to rapidly develop on board.”

At a press conference dedicated to the work of the government commission, the head of the aviation safety service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Sergei Baynetov, said that “the radio exchange was extremely brief. There was a special situation for 10 seconds...” That is, according to him, before that everything was going quite normally. However, an analysis of the crew's radio traffic not only in the last seconds of the flight, but also on the ground suggests the opposite. First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrei Krasov also leans toward this point of view: “Something extraordinary had to happen.”

The Russian Ministry of Defense, in turn, also reported an emergency situation on board the Tu-154-B2 before the crash. What turned out to be extraordinary on earth?

From the part of the investigation materials that has become publicly available, it follows that “the aircraft commander R. Volkov began to experience difficulties in determining his own position on the airfield,” which was due to his idea of the upcoming takeoff course. Volkov allegedly did not understand which of the two runways he would take off from. But the Sochi airport is equipped with illuminated taxiway and runway number signs. According to experts, it is impossible to “get lost” there. Moreover, Volkov was familiar with the airfield. Moreover, if the commander of the airliner was lost on the ground, there should immediately be a ban on takeoff, which did not happen. So, everything was normal or are they hiding from the public that this is not the case? But then there are even more questions.

The materials of the investigation into violation of spatial orientation (situational awareness) say that in 70 seconds of flight at an altitude of up to 300 meters, it is very difficult for even a beginner to get lost. And at the helm was an experienced pilot who, we repeat, had flown 1900 hours on the Tu-154. Volkov constantly performed takeoff with a pitch-up pitch, which cannot be accomplished except using the attitude indicator. There was a trained full-time crew nearby who monitored the situation and would react to instrument deviations. It’s hard to believe that their testimony was ignored for several tens of seconds, and collectively. The actual self-removal of the co-pilot and navigator from ensuring a safe flight also cannot be explained. The former head of the Air Force flight safety service (1997–2002), honored military pilot, Major General of Aviation Boris Tumanov, is convinced that two professionals could not have lost spatial orientation, and the disaster could have occurred due to erroneous (that is, conscious) actions of the crew. Unless, of course, his spatial orientation (situational awareness) was impaired at that time.

Similar cases were investigated by British Air Force doctors. Disturbance in spatial orientation can occur when parameters exceed those normal for the life of flight crews. This is a temperature of +20° and an overload of more than 1 unit. But the work of the Tu-154-B2 crew corresponded to normal vital parameters. Therefore, violation of spatial orientation is, to put it mildly, problematic. However, the state commission made exactly this conclusion. Why?

The investigation materials say that this “could have been facilitated ( but they might not have contributed! – I.S.) excessive neuropsychic stress that has arisen due to a combination of a number of situational professional and psychological stress factors against the background of natural emotional and physiological fatigue; lack of stable skills in distributing attention and maintaining specified flight parameters during takeoff and climb.” And this is from a professionally trained aircraft commander and crew?

A “direct” indication of the aircraft’s attitude in roll is displayed on the flight director instrument (CPI), and it is impossible not to notice it. Then where did it come from that it caused difficulties for a particular aircraft commander? For a young pilot during retraining in a simulator - maybe. And Roman Volkov, we emphasize once again, was an experienced pilot. In addition, in case of gearbox failure, there is a backup device - the AGR-72 attitude indicator.

By the way, if the “special situation” arose on the ground, then why did the air traffic control personnel in the airport area not provide timely assistance to the crew? The investigation materials say this: “The accident was facilitated by omissions in the control of flight organization, objective control and flight methodological work of the management staff of 800 (AB) ...”

Isn’t it too light-hearted: “The accident was facilitated by the omissions ... of the leadership of the 800th air base.” This is not a vegetable base or even a Voentorg base. The flight unit has a long and glorious history; it is a long-established living organism of the Air Force. An elite special-purpose division that carries out state tasks has established itself as a responsible and trouble-free unit. A system of reliable operation of aviation equipment and training of aviation personnel was established there. Strict control has been established to ensure trouble-free operation and flight safety on the ground and in the air. Under Serdyukov, the 8th Hell (ON) was renamed into the 800th (AB), lowering its status, but did not reduce its responsibility. Of course, there may be some shortcomings in crew training. But as an expert, I don’t believe in the fundamental ones, noted by the commission and leading to the disaster.

Obvious contradictions can also be traced in assessments of the commander’s performance. From the investigation materials it follows: “R. Volkov was not ready for the flight according to psychological, professional and physiological criteria as a pilot, as a ship commander, and as someone responsible for the safety of passengers.” But before that, completely different assessments were made. “The crew of the crashed Tu-154-B2 was ready to carry out the flight, its level of qualification corresponded to the fulfillment of the flight mission,” the same Baynetov stated in one of his interviews. He was supported at that moment by the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev: “Volkov is a well-trained first-class military pilot...”

I also cannot imagine that the country’s leadership could assign an untrained flight crew to such a responsible task. As Boris Tumanov said, “the commander of the Tu-154-B2 crew with such professional training and 1900 flight hours on the Tu-154 cannot get into a situation of spatial orientation violation, especially on takeoff, when he was piloting the plane using instruments.”

Mirage on course

During the search operation, more than 200 fragments of the crashed aircraft were discovered, including the side skin of the fuselage measuring 3.5 by 4.5 meters with windows, the tail section with pieces of the engine, a separate engine, landing gear... 20 bodies and numerous remains of air passengers were recovered . Such a scatter only occurs when an aircraft is destroyed in the air.

Although the point of mass accumulation of fragments was located six kilometers from the coastline, where the depth is from 80 to 100 meters, debris and personal belongings were found over a fairly large area, some of them 12-14 kilometers away. In this regard, serious experts are talking about the possibility of an explosion on board. This means that a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out.

According to aerospace expert Vadim Lukashevich, the investigation had too little information. Therefore, it is difficult to talk about any specific causes of the disaster.

Experts participating in the investigation found that the crew commander, before the plane crashed, pressed the rudder pedals, which are usually not used during takeoff. As if he was trying to get around an unexpected obstacle. At the same time, the commission rejected the possibility of external influence and technical malfunction of the airliner. One gets the impression that some kind of obstacle actually appeared in front of the plane, perhaps a flock of birds or even a mirage. However, experienced pilots believe that there is again not enough reason to talk about pilot error.

“It’s very rare for a plane to crash on takeoff, especially of this class. It has three engines and is very reliable. It couldn't be that someone flew up to him; he could have crashed into something. And then there was a sharp drop, this happens when something abnormal happened, something exploded, something fell off... The pilot could have turned on the distress signal, but this also did not happen. I can’t blame the crew, but the equipment doesn’t break down right away,” pilot-instructor Andrei Krasnoperov shared his thoughts. – If the airliner had fallen intact, it would have simply disappeared into the water, and an oil slick would have formed at the site of its fall, then fragments would have floated up... And then they even found a person who was injured in the coastal zone from the debris, and only then the remains of the plane . All this suggests that parts of the airliner fell randomly.”

Apparently, the low quality of the initial data (their absence) did not allow the participants in the investigation to thoroughly reconstruct the entire diagram of the development of the emergency situation on board the Tu-154-B2 and, accordingly, come to a consensus.

An additional problem was the flight recorder, created in the 80s and essentially a reel-to-reel tape recorder of those years. It was not damaged, but to obtain complete information from it, the Scientific Research Center for Operation and Repair of AT of the Air Force of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation had neither equipment nor specialists left. I had to turn to the MAK for help, but decrypting the recording added a little to the investigation.

Let's reproduce those last 10 seconds of the crew's activity before the plane crashed into the Black Sea through some versions and opinions. The commission to investigate the Tu-154-B2 disaster stated: at the 73rd second, its left wing touched the surface of the sea, it fell apart and sank. Let me emphasize: into parts, but not into fragments, as it turned out in reality. At the time of the collision, the left bank was about 50 degrees, the indicated speed was 540 kilometers per hour. The liner managed to fly 1270 meters over the sea. Where did the numerous fragments come from at such a low flight speed and low altitude?

Initially, there were 15 or even more versions of the disaster. When we received data from two “black boxes”, it became half as much. But the remaining versions have not yet been made public by officials. “It is impossible to say about one reason for this accident,” emphasized Sergei Baynetov. “These reasons lie in the area of human factors, aviation technology, and external conditions.” According to him (before the commission made its final conclusions), the development of a special situation on board could have been influenced by some mechanical impact. But this message also does not add anything and does not say anything specifically. All from the realm of assumptions that could be made by non-specialists. But the relatives of the victims and the Russian public still don’t know what actually caused the disaster. "The investigation is over, forget..."

Almost a year has passed since the tragic event. But even after this time, my soul personally did not feel lighter or calmer. As a pilot and an expert, I feel understatement, some kind of silence, a lack of clear explanations for a number of glaring facts about the behavior of the aircraft and crew on that early Sochi morning of December 25th.

The conclusions of the state commission left not only questions to which no answers were received, but also logical contradictions and inconsistencies. Maybe it is beneficial for someone that the Tu-154-B2 crash remains a secret behind seven seals. But not the Russian public. The truth must triumph sooner or later.

Igor Semenchenko,
independent expert in the field of flight safety and aviation, First Deputy Chief of Operations Directorate of the Air Force General Staff (1997–2003), Major General

While the “black boxes” of the plane have not been deciphered, it is too early to talk about the exact causes of the plane crash, but various details and assumptions appear in the press. Possible versions included piloting error, equipment failure, foreign objects getting into the engine, and even a terrorist attack. Experts commented on the alleged causes of the Tu-154 crash.

Version of the attack

This version was immediately rejected by the deputy editor-in-chief of the Aviapanorama magazine, honored military pilot of the Russian Federation. According to him, the plane most likely crashed on the water surface, and the debris was carried away by the current. The scattering of debris is not at all a sign that the airliner has disintegrated in the air. Chairman of the Board of the Aviation Legends Foundation, Honored Test Pilot Valery Vanshin, agrees with this opinion.

“The scattered area of the debris is not that large; rather, it was simply carried away by the current. We need to look in which direction all the details floated out - in one or in some radius,” he explained.

Foreign objects entering the engine

The version with foreign objects entering the engine also looks fantastic. As a rule, birds get into the engine, but even such an incident cannot lead to the crash of a three-engine Tu-154 aircraft.

“Yes, sometimes birds got caught. Yes, the engine was destroyed. But this did not lead to either an explosion of the plane or the catastrophic destruction of the entire aircraft. This is very unlikely. Even a large bird hitting a three-engine aircraft could not cause such a fatal end,” Vanshin said.

In addition, the plane crash occurred in the dark, around five in the morning. At this time, birds, as a rule, do not fly.

“It is purely hypothetically possible that someone once launched a fairly large drone, piloted it, wanted, perhaps, to film some kind of story, but collided with an airplane. And then, it would not have led to such a critical result. This, too, should be immediately removed from the versions being discussed,” Popov added.

Airplane overload

Vanshin also doubts that the plane was overloaded. Despite the fact that the head of the Fair Aid Foundation, Elizaveta Glinka (Doctor Lisa), who was on board was carrying humanitarian cargo for medical institutions in Syria, and other passengers were carrying personal belongings, most likely the weight standards were not exceeded.

“The military never violates overload rules. They monitor this very strictly. I don’t think there was an overload,” the pilot said.

Piloting error

Whether the fault lies with the crew is a difficult question. The airliner was piloted by first class pilot Roman Volkov, who had flown more than three thousand hours during his career. This is sufficient experience for a pilot, especially one working in the Ministry of Defense.

“The cause of a disaster can be any specialist of any qualification. Three thousand hours is a lot of flight time. Not so much to say it’s very big, but for the military it’s very decent. Experience suggests that people of all ages and all experience levels, including test pilots, [can make mistakes]. This is a matter of chance, the circumstances of the flight, and they can be very unpredictable,” Vanshin said.

Equipment failure

According to Popov, pilot error may have occurred, but it was most likely provoked by external factors. The expert believes that the cause of the disaster was a technical failure, which led to a chain of fatal events.

“My opinion, one of the versions: there was a technical failure somewhere. But he was not isolated, he could only provoke a chain of events that led to disaster. There was not just one emergency situation, there were several. They happened one after another and snowballed on the crew. This led to a large lack of time in organizing all the actions that the flight crew is supposed to do in this situation. The situation became critical; people simply did not have time to react,” the pilot said.

The situation was complicated by the dark time of day, and also by the fact that the flight took place over the sea - the crew did not see the horizon and the lights of the earth. I had to navigate only by the readings of the device.

The A320 commander, Aeroflot pilot Andrei Litvinov agrees with the same opinion. He emphasized that, most likely, it was the equipment failure that initially led to the emergency situation on board. And accompanying factors - the time of day, the location of the airfield near the coastline and the critical stage of the flight (take-off) could already lead to an error by the crew, who was trying to cope with the situation.

“It looks very much like a equipment failure, and so serious that the crew did not have time to report to the dispatcher. He struggled with rejection. This is the critical phase of the flight - approach and takeoff. At this stage, when the aircraft takes off, the landing gear and flaps are retracted. “Perhaps the flaps are out of synchronization - the plane falls on its side and if you don’t react in time, the plane may fall,” Litvinov said.

He noted that the described situation with the flaps is just one of hundreds of examples of equipment failure that could occur during takeoff.

Testimony of an eyewitness to the tragedy

A coast guard employee who witnessed the crash of a Tu-154 plane in the Black Sea gave evidence to investigators supporting the version of pilot error. the plane was flying low and with an unnaturally raised nose. Instead of gaining altitude, the plane began to quickly descend towards the surface of the sea, as if it wanted to land on it.

Popov considered that this testimony was not entirely correct. The plane, which took off from the Adler airfield, gained an altitude of about 200 meters by the second minute, so seeing it, especially at night, would have been problematic.

“At that distance, when the plane had already taken off from the [runway] strip - and I know the Adler airfield well - your eyewitness could not see that after takeoff the plane scraped its tail on the water and then continued to gain altitude, because we were a kilometer away 2.5 to the coastline. At this time, we had already removed the landing gear and flaps and gained altitude within 200 meters. It was night, how could he see it? The plane, most likely, was already striking the clouds at that time, and not the water,” the expert said.

Vanshin noted that such a position of the aircraft, as described by an eyewitness, can only be explained by a drop in speed when performing some maneuver, for example, a turn. The moment of collision with the water coincided with the raising of the plane's nose.

A similar version was voiced in the media. According to an anonymous source in law enforcement agencies, the Tu-154 crashed at a speed of 510 kilometers per hour while maneuvering to the right.

“The crash occurred when the pilots were retracting the high-lift devices (in the extended state, the wing increases lift). At the same time, for still unclear reasons, the plane was flying at a high pitch angle.<…>Apparently, he fell off the echelon during a maneuver to the right. As a result, at the end of the turn, he collided with the surface of the water with a left roll at a speed of about 510 kilometers per hour,” explained

And yet the human factor?

The human factor can cause a disaster, even if the fault of the pilots is excluded, Popov believes. Not only those sitting at the controls are responsible for flight safety, but also members of the so-called ground crew - mechanics, technicians, dispatchers and even those who refuel the planes.

“And only at the top of this mountain is the crew. The human factor implies that this term will necessarily manifest itself, whether we want it or not,” the pilot explained.

One can speculate about the reasons endlessly, but before insisting on any version, one should wait until the end of the investigation, experts agree. Divers have already managed to lift the “black boxes” from the bottom. According to Popov, they have already been delivered to the Central Research Institute of the Air Force in Lyubertsy, near Moscow. Within a few days, experts will be able to confirm or refute this or that version of the crash.

Arrivo's editors have prepared 7 important tips for 7 dangerous situations.

Fight on board

Fights on board an airplane have become a frequent occurrence, both among our compatriots and among foreign tourists. This is usually explained by the fact that many people get drunk at the airport to relieve the fear of flying or simply to reduce the waiting time. Finding themselves in a confined space, some people simply fall asleep, while others begin to look for reasons for conflict.

The most dangerous thing on board is a group of fans who strive to get maximum adrenaline and, along with fights, organize “pitching”, that is, rush from one side to another. If there are less than 30 people, this is not dangerous, otherwise the balance of the aircraft may be disrupted.

If you witness a fight on board, the first thing you need to do is remain calm.
All foreign airlines have so-called “marshals” on their crew - large stewards who are much better at pacifying rowdy passengers than at distributing sandwiches.
But in domestic companies there is no such position, so men should be ready to come to the aid of the flight attendant if necessary.

Turbulence zone and air pockets

Turbulence refers to the mixing of several air currents with different temperatures and densities, as a result of which the aircraft can instantly fall or rise several tens of meters. Most often, this happens at an altitude of more than six thousand meters, during a flight over a city, a sandy beach or a lake, the surface of which is unevenly heated.

When an airplane falls into a large air pocket, all objects in the cabin that are not properly secured shoot up sharply and then fall on the passengers. In addition, if you do not wear a seat belt, you can get a bruise or even a fracture if you hit yourself during the shaking that usually occurs when passing through a turbulence zone.

When boarding a plane, make sure there are no heavy or sharp objects or loose luggage nearby.
Even a pen in your jacket pocket can become dangerous, so it's best to pack it in your bag.
In addition, be sure to fasten your seat belt, and if you enter a turbulence zone, group yourself as indicated in the passenger handbook.

Fire on the plane

There are often cases when the culprits of a fire on an airplane are the passengers themselves, who handled the fire carelessly or smoked on board. True, a fire can occur during takeoff or landing, and then the passenger has no more than three minutes to get out of the plane.

First of all, remember that the plane is a huge flying fuel tanker, and using lighters or smoking on board is strictly prohibited.
If a fire has already started while you are on the runway, try to leave the aircraft cabin as soon as possible.
To do this, when boarding, remember where the emergency exits are located, count how many rows of seats are from you to the exit, so that you can orient yourself even by touch.
Do not inhale smoke, move bent over or on all fours, throw on a coat or jacket and get rid of synthetic clothing (including tights), since melting causes the most severe burns.
You should not take off your shoes, except for high-heeled shoes, when entering the inflatable ramp, and even those should be held in your hands so that you can put them on immediately on the ground and avoid stepping on broken glass or plastic.

Decompression

Decompression, unlike most aircraft accidents, happens very quickly and, although it seems scary, is not a reason to panic. The loud noise that accompanies air escaping from the cabin can be frightening, but this is not the most dangerous thing. The plane quickly fills with fog and dust, it becomes difficult to breathe, and your ears are ringing. At this moment, the most important thing is not to panic, but to put on an oxygen mask and securely fasten it so that it does not fall off, even if you may sway or lose consciousness. Know that the crew will immediately begin to correct the situation, and the aircraft will descend sharply until the pressure in the cabin and outside are equalized, and then an emergency landing will be made at the nearest airport.

At the first sign of decompression, put an oxygen mask on yourself and then help those around you.
Even if there is a child nearby, take care of yourself first, otherwise you may lose consciousness and leave him without help.

Accidents during takeoff and landing

It’s no wonder that flight attendants ask passengers to fasten their seat belts and raise their seat backs during takeoff and landing. The most unexpected accidents occur during these periods of flight.

First of all, you should not rely only on the instructions of the crew.
If you notice that the flight is going wrong (the plane is descending sharply, one of the engines has gone silent, or smoke has appeared in the cabin), buckle up, regroup and get ready for an emergency landing, during which severe overloads are inevitable.
As soon as the plane stops, passengers will begin to be evacuated. At this moment, you shouldn’t give in to panic, but you need to do everything extremely quickly.

Airplane landing in strong crosswinds

Hijacking

Cases of aircraft hijacking are extremely rare, however, they quickly become known to the whole world. And although the chance that the Moscow-Antalya flight will be hijacked is negligible, it is still better to know the basic rules of behavior and survival in such situations

Do not stand out among other passengers, fulfill all the demands of the criminals, and then the release group.
Perform any actions (going to the toilet, opening luggage) only after receiving permission.
During the assault, try to sit or lie on the floor or hide behind the back of a chair, do not express your attitude towards the invaders and do not try to cope with them yourself.
After your release, be prepared to spend the next few hours constantly answering questions from the police and security forces.

Landing on water

In emergency cases, the plane can land on the water, but this does not mean that casualties are inevitable, since all aircraft are prepared for this. The ship can remain afloat for up to 40 minutes, and during this time everyone has time to leave it. In addition, modern aircraft are equipped with life jackets and rafts that self-inflate in one minute.

Before departure, find out in what position the plane is kept afloat - horizontally, with the tail or nose lowered into the water. Based on this, plan which exit you will need to move towards.
After splashdown, begin launching self-inflating rafts into the water with the help of stewards. If the raft does not begin to inflate on its own, pull the handle of the air supply system located on the side of the raft.

Another video of a plane landing on the island of St. Martin

As the head of the aviation safety service of the Russian Armed Forces S. Baynetov said today at a press conference in Moscow, the analysis of the first phrase of the crew commander of the Tu-154 airliner that previously crashed near Sochi indicates “the beginning of a special situation.”

“She’s not saying anything more for now,” he managed to say. Bainetov also said that the radio exchange itself with the mentioned Tu-154 was too brief. “Can you imagine that a special situation actively developed within ten seconds? What can you say in 10 seconds?” he asks.

In addition, the representative of the Ministry of Defense indicated that the information received from the flight recorders ultimately made it possible to halve the number of versions of the causes of the plane crash, but it is not yet possible to say anything about what exactly provoked the crash of the airliner.

“It is impossible now to talk about just one cause of this accident. All these reasons lie in the field of aviation technology, human factors, and various external conditions,” he explained. According to Mr. Baynetov, the version of the terrorist attack has also not been withdrawn. At the same time, a representative of the Ministry of Defense managed to clarify that there was no explosion on board the Russian plane, but “some kind of mechanical impact” cannot be ruled out.

At the same time, a representative of the Ministry of Defense points out that in the city of Sochi, where the Tu-154 landed for the necessary refueling, only representatives of the border service ultimately boarded it, and all passengers boarded the plane at Chkalovsky airport, which is near Moscow. Baynetov also told some details of the last few seconds before the plane crash. In particular, according to him, in total this flight lasted only 70 seconds, but the maximum altitude to which the airliner managed to rise was only 250 meters at a speed of 370 km/h.

The day before, the Kommersant publication reported that problems with the Tu-154 could suddenly begin after the flaps were not retracted for some reason, but the actions of the crew members in this case could definitely aggravate the emergency situation even further. Experts interviewed by journalists suggest that the problem with the plane could have arisen due to false readings of both altitude and speed on the instruments.

In turn, the head of the Ministry of Transport M. Sokolov said that the aircraft’s on-board equipment was operating abnormally. “It is quite obvious that there was some abnormal operation of the equipment. What caused this remains to be determined by experts, and why a special technical commission was created as a result,” he explained to reporters. According to him, all preliminary data from the ongoing examinations will become known in January, but final conclusions about the very causes of the disaster will only be made after decoding the two flight recorders of the recently crashed plane. At the same time, the current minister called on media representatives not to publish any information obtained from unofficial sources until the end of the work of the members of the investigation commission.

The Exchange Leader publication informs that the Russian Ministry of Defense Tu-154 plane taking off from Adler crashed in the early morning of December 25. The airliner disappeared from radar screens already in the 2nd minute of the flight and fell into the waters of the Black Sea near the city of Sochi. The aircraft was on its way to troubled Syria, with 92 people on board, namely: military personnel, artists of the Ensemble named after. Alexandrova, several journalists, as well as the head of the Fair Aid Foundation E. Glinka.

Search special operation.

The main stage of a large-scale search operation at the crash site has already been completed. Russian rescuers raised all the main fragments of a completely crashed large aircraft to the surface of the earth; these fragments were delivered to a special site in the city of Sochi.

The rescuers involved have already raised 19 bodies of the dead to the earth's surface. Of these, 17 and all body fragments have already been transported by special flight to Moscow for subsequent identification. To date, the body of only one victim of a large-scale crash has been identified and buried; for all others, it is still necessary to wait for the results of a detailed genetic examination.

Also, during the search work that began, 2 “black boxes” were discovered. The first of them was discovered on the morning of December 27, but the second was discovered the next day. They were in fairly good condition. The 3rd flight recorder, which was located at the tail of the Tu-154, was mostly destroyed.

The largest fragments of the plane were discovered thanks to space monitoring; a photograph of the crash area was published by specialists from the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Three large groups were created to conduct a detailed investigation of the incident. “One works right at Adler airport, the 2nd - at the 30th Research Institute, but the third group of the flight safety service is actively working at the 800th aviation base,” said the head of the aviation safety service of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General S. Baynetov.

The actions of the pilots during the Tu-154 crash are planned to be simulated using simulators. Preliminary information from the examinations will become known as early as next month, and the final results on the causes of the disaster will be announced after deciphering the existing flight recorders.