Russian military plane with 92 on board disappears moments after take off from Sochi

[Boeing767copilot]

A Russian plane has vanished from radar moments after take off, it has been reported.

The airliner has set off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Christmas Eve carrying around 70 people, according to Russian media.

The missing jet is believed to be a Tu-154 belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry, RT reported.

[sn26567]

It was indeed a military Tu-154, with 92 people on board (84 passengers and 8 crew), mainly members of the choirs of the Red Army going to the Russian air base of Hmeimim in Syria for a Christmas celebration.

The first bodies have been recovered in the Black Sea. The plane lays down at 1.5 km from Sotchi at a depth of 50 to 70 metres.

[sn26567]

The Russian Ministry of Defence has published a list of victims: 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, better known as Choirs of the Red Army, 8 military including Valeri Khakhilov, director of the Ensemble, 8 crew, 9 journalists, 2 higher civil servants, and the director of a respected Russian charity, Elizavéta Glinka, known by the public as "Doctor Liza".

[sn26567]

The Ministry of Defence says there are no survivors. President Putin has sent his condolences to the families of all victims.

R.I.P. !

[sn26567]

Six ships and vessels of the Russian Black Sea fleet have been sent to the area of the Tu-154 plane crash off the Sochi coast, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

"Four ships, four helicopters, one aircraft and drones are involved in the search and rescue operation. Six ships and vessels of the Black Sea fleet, remotely operated submersibles and 63 divers have been additionally sent to the crash area. Fifty more divers from other fleets will be brought to the crash area in about an hour," the ministry said.

The Spravedlivaya Pomoshch (Fair Aid) charity fund has confirmed that its head Elizaveta Glinka, known as Dr. Liza, was onboard the crashed Tu-154 plane en route to Syria.



The fund said in a statement on its website that Glinka flew to Syria late on Saturday onboard the Defence Ministry’s plane. "She accompanied a humanitarian cargo for the university hospital Tishrin in Latakia," it said, giving no more details.

The Tu-154 plane that crashed off the Black Sea coast near Sochi on Sunday was manufactured more than 30 years ago and was last time repaired in December 2014, and was flown by an experienced pilot, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

"The Tu-154 plane of the military and transport aviation of Russia’s Defence Ministry was flown by experienced pilot Roman Volkov," the ministry said in a statement. Volkov was class 1 pilot who had more than 3,000 hours of flight.

The Tu-154 plane was manufactured in 1983 and had 6,689 hours of flight. "The last repair was on December 29, 2014, and in September 2016 it underwent scheduled maintenance," the ministry said.

Source: Russian Aviation

[sn26567]

Russia opens criminal investigation into crash of Tu-154 plane

Military investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee have opened a criminal case into the crash of the Tu-154 plane of the Defence Ministry en route to Syria's Latakia, official spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko told TASS.

The criminal case has been opened into "the violation of rules of flights safety or preparation for them," she said.

Military investigators of Russia’s Investigative Committee are seizing documents and interrogating the persons who prepared the Tu-154 plane for the flight to Syria, said Petrenko.

"Exhaustive measures are being taken to establish all the circumstances of the incident. The pre-flight documents are seized and officials who were in charge of the flight as well as technical personnel who prepared the plane for the flight and refuelled it are questioned," she said.

Source: Russian Aviation

[Passenger]

Report on Aviation-Safety.net:
https://aviation-safety.net/database/re ... 20161225-0

[sn26567]

In memoriam

[sn26567]

A total of 27 ships and vessels of the Black Sea fleet are taking part in the search operation in the area of the Tu-154 crash off the Sochi coast, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

"We are increasing the search and rescue group in the area of the crash of the Defence Ministry's Tu-154 plane. A total of 27 ships and vessels, 37 divers, four helicopters, drones and remotely operated submersibles are taking part in the operation," the ministry said.

The ministry said the area of the search effort will cover 10.5 square kilometres.

More than 100 divers will be additionally sent to the area of the Tu-154 crash off the Sochi coast, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday. "Over 100 divers with special equipment will be additionally brought from other fleets to the plane crash area," the ministry said.

More than 3,000 people are taking part in the search and rescue operation.




Source: Russian Aviation

[tsv]

Seems like the debris field is quite large. http://tass.com/defense/922397

Given the crash occurred relatively close to the shore I am surprised they have not found the main part of the Aircraft yet. There is also a video, supposedly taken near the Airport, which shows an explosion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VE2BRieTgr8.

The Russian Government may not suspect foul play but I do. Not much evidence available yet but what there is certainly suggests the Aircraft broke up prior to impact. Which could be Structural failure, fuel explosion - or a bomb. Terrorists have got bombs on Russian Liners before by bribing Security Staff (https://aviation-safety.net/database...?id=20040824-0) and I don't think it is impossible they could get a bomb on a Military Aircraft.

Whatever the cause RIP to the victims.

[jan_olieslagers]

The plane can not have been very high, and the Tu-154 has a strong reputation for being very sturdy. I am finding it very strange there was not a single survivor. Even if the pilots were perhaps no Sullenbergers, they should have been able to manage some kind of controlled ditching. And in that case, there ought to have been some survivors, though the very cold water would take its toll, too.

Waiting for more information - but something tells me we might have to wait a very long time.

[sn26567]

Several victims of the deadly military plane crash in the Black Sea were recovered wearing life jackets, a source familiar with the search and rescue operation told RIA Novosti on Monday.

"People in jackets, preparing for evacuation," the source said, clarifying that the life jackets were not worn on every of the 11 bodies found so far.

[Passenger]

Several victims of the deadly military plane crash in the Black Sea were recovered wearing life jackets, a source familiar with the search and rescue operation told RIA Novosti on Monday.

"People in jackets, preparing for evacuation," the source said, clarifying that the life jackets were not worn on every of the 11 bodies found so far.

We heared the same story from a Dutch minister after the crash of MH-17 (in Ukrain): "some passengers weared a life jacket". A few months later, he had to admit it was false.

[tsv]

Fuselage and Black Box have been found. I assume the condition of the fuselage will tell them straight away if the Aircraft broke up before impact.

If some Passengers had Life Jackets on that would probably rule out a bomb - unless it just blew a hole in one area of the Aircraft and Passengers in other areas had time to put them on.

[quixoticguide]

Only 2 minutes after take-off is very little chance that it is a bomb.

[jan_olieslagers]

Only 2 minutes after take-off is very little chance that it is a bomb.

Why? Wasn't there exactly that in Somalia, not so very long ago? Ok, that plane was not flying as scheduled, but the bomb did explode soon after take-off.

Also: ASN mentions the plane performed a U-turn back to the airport, though no other sources confirm this. If it be true, it wasn't an immediate total break-up. See https://aviation-safety.net/database/re ... 20161225-0

[Passenger]

Only 2 minutes after take-off is very little chance that it is a bomb.

Indeed. And it wasn't even 2 minutes. The crash site has been located at 1,5 kms off coast, which means that the aircraft was in the air for about 20-30 seconds only. No time for a bomb, no time for a U-turn, no time to prepare life jackets. And apparently even no time for a mayday call.

luchtzak.be TU-154 crash site.jpg (275.1 KiB) Viewed 3590 times

Above photo of the crash site is provided by the "Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences" (on RT.com)

Reports:
http://www.jacdec.de/2016/12/25/2016-12 ... black-sea/
https://aviation-safety.net/database/re ... 20161225-0
https://www.rt.com/news/371627-russia-m ... e-missing/

[tsv]

It was found only 1.5km off the Coast but (according to the flight chart posted on another site) it had been much further off the Coast than that, probably at least 10km. It had already performed the U-turn and was heading back towards the shoreline before setting a south easterly course towards the Caspian Sea and Iran.

The planned flight path did not cross the Black Sea other than for a few minutes after take off during initial climb.

If the chart was correct it nearly came down over Sochi itself, not far from the Airport.

There is always time for a bomb to go off, it only takes an instant. Not saying this is what happened but bombs can be set to detonate at a certain altitude. Or if there is a Suicide Bomber on board they can obviously detonate it whenever they like.

Bit too early to rule anything out yet but a photo of the fuselage may be revealing.

[DIBO]

I seems indeed that the planned departure was a large U turn in any case, to avoid Turkish airspace (blue area bottom left) and proceeding then via the East to circumnavigate Georgia/Azerbaijan. So after departure, coming back closer towards the airfield, as such is not an indication of any problems (unless the actual U-turn flown was much tighter than the planned U-turn)

Sochi departure.JPG (162.8 KiB) Viewed 3516 times

[sn26567]

Deciphering of Tu-154 flight recorder to begin this Tuesday

The deciphering of the crashed Tu-154 flight recorder will begin on Tuesday, Russia’s Transport Minister Maksim Sokolov told the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

"It is one of the black boxes, the one that was recording the flight parameters. It has been delivered to Moscow and handed over to the Defense Ministry’s Air Force Research Center. Experts will start to decipher the flight recorder today," he elaborated.