Which airline owned the crashed one 154. “Unless it was collective insanity. Flaps or disorientation

To calculate the mass of the crashed aircraft, special methods were applied, including using the data of a parametric recorder raised from the bottom of the Black Sea.

As a result, it became known that on December 24, when taking off from the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow, from where the Tu-1542B-2 began its route, the takeoff weight of the aircraft, together with 24 tons of fuel filled into it, amounted to 99.6 tons. This exceeded the standards, but the deviation was 1 .6 t was insignificant. With this weight, the plane usually takes off without any problems.

In Adler, no one left the Tu-154B-2, with the exception of the commander and co-pilot. Nothing additional was loaded onto the plane, but the liner was refueled to the maximum. Its tanks contained 35.6 tons of fuel.

According to experts, as a result, the take-off weight of the liner instead of the standard 98 tons was about 110 tons.

Early in the morning on December 25, the Tu-154B-2 took off along a large runway (there are two of them in Adler). After that, the plane was supposed to turn first to the right, then to the left, and then head for Latakia, at the Khmeimim airbase. However, problems began even during the rise.

The aircraft took off from the Adler runway only at the 37th second after the start of the takeoff run, at a speed of 320 km/h, while the pitch angle was from 4 to 6 degrees. All these parameters indicate that the aircraft took off with difficulty. The rate of climb was 10 m/s instead of the usual 12-15 m/s.

2 seconds after takeoff, the crew commander pulled the helm, lifting the nose of the aircraft so that the pitch was already 10-12 degrees. For the operator of an overloaded aircraft, these were very rash actions. The crew started cleaning the flaps at an altitude of 150 m and at a speed of 345 km/h. Given the significant excess of the standard take-off weight of the Tu-154, these actions should have been carried out at a higher speed.

The stall speed of the aircraft (low flight speed, when the angle of attack reaches a critical value and the aircraft becomes uncontrollable) increases with mass and also depends on the position of the flaps (the more they are released, the less it is). Therefore, at a certain weight, the speed may turn out to be such that before the flaps are retracted it will be greater than the stall speed, and after that it will be less.

On the recordings of the voice recorder, you can hear how the co-pilot asked the commander for permission to clean the mechanization, but the latter did not answer. The co-pilot apparently took his silence as a sign of agreement. The lifting force since the beginning of mechanization harvesting naturally began to fall sharply.

The plane managed to reach a height of 200 m, when the commander again made an unexpected movement - he gave the control column away from himself and then suddenly took it over again, losing the already low altitude in the maneuver.

The flaps had not yet been completely retracted, when a system in the cockpit of the Tu-154 worked, signaling a dangerous approach to the ground. The flap angle was 5-7 degrees when the commander moved the helm and rudder pedals to the left. As planned, he should have done the opposite. The aircraft went into a 30 degree bank.

At this moment, a signal of a dangerous roll sounds, to which no one pays attention. "We're falling!" shouts the co-pilot.

The commander makes the movement of the helm and pedals in the opposite direction and takes the helm column. At this point, the angle of attack was 10 degrees. At the same time, the aircraft continued to accelerate to 500 km / h. The speed increased, the roll increased, and the lifting force fell. The Tu-154 had practically no headroom.

A few seconds later, already with a roll of 50 degrees and at a speed of 540 km / h, the plane touched the water with its left wing. In such conditions, a collision with the water surface is tantamount to a collision with a rock. The plane collapsed, its wreckage scattered over a large area.

In total, the last flight of the Tu-154 lasted only 74 seconds.

Until the moment of impact on the water, the aircraft was fully operational. The weather conditions at the Adler airfield at the time of takeoff were favorable: ambient temperature - 5 degrees above zero, humidity - 76%, pressure - 763 mm Hg. Art., side wind - 5 m / s. No dangerous weather events were observed.

It also turned out that the deceased crew, together with an experienced commander, took off in a crashed car from the same runway in Adler just two months before the disaster - on October 1, 2016.

Then separation from the runway was made at a speed of 310 km/h. With a rate of climb of 12-15 m/s, the crew began climbing. At an altitude of 450 m, a turn was made to the right with a right bank of 20 degrees, then the plane made a turn to the left, and only then, at an altitude of 450 m, the flaps were removed within 13-14 seconds, which had previously been in the takeoff position - 28 degrees.

The actions of an experienced crew and the behavior of a serviceable car during its next takeoff in Adler can only be explained by the fact that the Tu-154 commander did not know either the nature or the exact weight of the cargo on board, and consequently, about the overload of his aircraft. Therefore, in Adler, fuel was poured into the plane. Probably, it would have been filled less if they knew the exact weight of the property that was loaded onto the plane in Chkalovsky.

Perhaps something relatively small in volume, but significant in terms of its specific gravity, was placed on the plane.

If the crew commander knew about the excess of the standard takeoff weight by more than 10 tons, he would either refuse to fly or take off taking into account that the aircraft was overloaded.

The last actions of the crew can be explained by the fact that the pilots guessed that something was wrong with the plane and tried to return to the departure airfield in order to land on another, smaller runway in Adler. However, there was not enough height.

Not the best role was played by the dark time of the day: the crew did not have a visual idea that there was very little left to the water surface.

On the plane Tu-154, which crashed early in the morning on December 25, the artists of the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble were flying, who were supposed to give a New Year's concert at the Russian Khmeimim base in Syria. They were accompanied by film crews of the First Channel, and "Stars". A total of 92 people died - 84 passengers and 8 crew members.

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

“A decision was made to deliver all those who died in the Tu-154 plane crash of the Russian Ministry of Defense to Moscow for identification and genetic testing 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 had disappeared from radar.

Before the crash in the Tu-154 something extreme happened - 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 prevented the crew from transmitting a distress signal to the ground, according to Vitaly Andreev, former shift supervisor of the main center of the unified air traffic management system of Russia.

“After takeoff and a short flight - two minutes - the plane lost communication and did not transmit a signal to the ground about any problems, this may indicate that an emergency situation has developed on board - either external 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 "the Tu-154 is a very reliable machine, and miracles do not happen, they just don't fall."

“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 of problems on board that are now being voiced - unbalance of the rudders, deviation from the established flight path - definitely could not prevent the crew from transmitting a signal to the ground about this,” Andreev added.

“It 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 aircraft of the Russian Defense Ministry, which was heading to 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 television channels, the head of the Fair Aid charity foundation Elizaveta Glinka, known as Doctor Liza, two federal civil servants.

The version of the terrorist attack on the Tu-154 aircraft is practically excluded - source

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

“Apparently, when the aircraft collided with the water surface, there was a water hammer, which led to a large spread of debris,” the source said.

In turn, a source in law enforcement agencies told Interfax that a terrorist attack was not considered among the main versions of the disaster, and such a version was practically excluded.

“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. The penetration of unauthorized persons, or the carrying of unauthorized items by any of the employees is excluded, ”the source said.

Konashenkov: 27 ships and vessels, 37 divers, 4 helicopters, UAVs and remote-controlled deep-sea vehicles are involved in the search for the aircraft

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 region as of 15:00:

“According to updated data, 10 bodies of the dead have been taken aboard the rescue ship.

The build-up of search and rescue forces in the area of ​​the plane crash of the Tu-154 aircraft of the Ministry of Defense continues.

A search area of ​​10.5 km2 has been formed.

The area is divided into sectors and distributed among the involved forces. The search is organized around the clock. Searchlight installations and special equipment were sent to illuminate the coastline at night.

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

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

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

Groups of medical and psychological assistance are on duty at the Adler airfield, vehicles have been allocated to transport relatives to places of temporary accommodation at the funds of the city's sanatorium and resort institutions.

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

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

On the likelihood of a terrorist attack

On the possibility of a terrorist attack.

Air Force Major, Pilot Instructor Sergey Krasnoperov:

- What could have caused the catastrophe of this liner, in your opinion?

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

- Now they have clarified that this happened in the seventh minute, during climbing or during a turn, apparently, over the Black Sea.

- This means that the engines worked properly, the fuel was normal. If this happened on takeoff, the fuel could be the cause. The situation, perhaps, is similar to the tragedy in Sharm el-Sheikh, there, too, very little time passed after takeoff.

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. Tu-154 has three engines, it is very reliable. I myself flew them as a passenger very often.

- Why do you not consider the malfunction of the aircraft? 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 backup cable systems, including aircraft control systems, that is, if one system fails , another enters. Considering the experience of the pilots who are now flying 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 the electronic surveillance system followed it, so it could not be that someone flew up to it, it could crash into something.

- Initially, it was reported that he simply lost a signal from the radar screens, but the plane did not give any distress signals.

- This suggests that the plane, as in Sharm el-Sheikh, instantly lost speed and simply fell into a tailspin, that is, uncontrollable. In this case, the pilot, simply with such an overload, which happens 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 to rotate strongly. Therefore, I think that the aircraft was destroyed, as it was in Sharm el-Sheikh, where its speed was at first 780 km / h and then abruptly became 170 km / h, and the loss of altitude was 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 the Tu-154, when people were rescued, 37 people. The pilots then were able to land the liner on an unfamiliar field with a strong wind, in a strong snowstorm, and they saved almost all the people.
In this situation, there were simple weather conditions, if something happened to the plane, to the engine, it would simply turn around and begin to plan towards the airfield, would land in the coastal zone. Let the plane fall apart, but the pilots, and the crew, and passengers would be alive, you know? And then a sharp drop, this happens when something abnormal happened, something exploded, something fell off. As a rule, these aircraft can only fall off the tail. And in all other cases, the pilot could calmly transmit information, turn on the distress signal, but this did not happen. So, something was so abnormal, sharp at the seventh minute of the flight. So, I can’t blame the crew, and the equipment doesn’t break down so abruptly.

- Spread of fragments at such a speed, and its speed in the set is about 600-700 km / h, already there it goes over, at such a distance it may well be. But if the plane fell whole, then there would be no such scattering of fragments, believe me. The plane fell apart, just fell apart, which means it exploded, which means that someone was given a suitcase somewhere, given that it was a flight to Syria, and musicians from the ensemble were flying, they could have carried something with these musical instruments, someone that - something could put. Believe me, such a scattering of fragments occurs only when the aircraft is destroyed in the air. It just explodes, that's all. And when the liner just falls, you get an oil stain, and then parts pop 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 already, who already in the coastal zone suffered from the wreckage. This suggests that the debris fell to the ground in an erratic fall, which means it exploded in the air.

Sergey Goncharov, president of the Alfa Veterans Association.

“With a high degree of probability, I can say that this is not a terrorist attack, for several reasons,” says Sergey Goncharov, president of the association of veterans of the Alfa anti-terror unit. - First. This is an aircraft operated 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 clearance 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 subjected to checks by precisely those people who flew in this plane.
Third. The plane, as I understand it, was not in the air for so long, the sea area provides opportunities, if it was an explosion or some kind of flash, then, probably, there would be eyewitnesses who could see it or, at least, could fix it . And the last. The wreckage of the plane has already been discovered, which means that they did not fly as far apart from each other as it 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, it is necessary to lean towards the versions or the pilots' mistake, or the refueling that took place that did not meet some criteria. In any case, condolences must be expressed to all the victims. Unfortunately, this tragedy overshadowed our pre-holiday days. But in any case, I believe that now the Ministry of Defense will carefully examine and put an end to the i. 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 answer yet, I think the investigation will answer.

Sergei Alekseevich, there must have been similar events in the tragic world practice. And why couldn't the crew, if we try to understand it now using parallel analogies, do the very first thing that every pilot probably does, if he understands that the situation is beyond the usual regular one, - to send a distress signal? Using other situations as an example, can you explain how events could have developed, why this could have happened?

- If we are talking about a terrorist act, then in the event of an explosion on board an aircraft or in the luggage compartment, the communication system immediately disappears, and purely technically, the commander of the ship cannot give the dispatcher any information. Apparently, if there was some kind of technical short circuit here, some kind of technical problem that did not allow the crew to contact the controllers (I repeat once again, this is a problem that will be dealt with after the wreckage is lifted) ... If it were there was a terrorist attack, at the moment, in any case, there would be indirect data about what happened on the plane, in particular, a flash, an explosion, or at least we would have some new, albeit subjective or indirect, hints that that the plane was blown up or crashed in the air with the help of an explosion.

From official sources:

"Preliminarily, during the climb, the crew encountered a technical malfunction of a critical nature, which led to a disaster," Interfax's source in emergency services said.
According to a Pravda.ru source at the operational headquarters, “so far, according to preliminary data, the situation is as follows. The pilot and 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. Captain pro, navigator participated in the landing of the "tumbling" Tu-154.
This is not a terrorist attack, too, with a probability close to one - the aircraft is serviced, controlled in a special zone, control at the Sochi airport has been strict since the Olympics. The 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 a sudden sudden tornado. Or into a flock of birds that "shut up" all the engines at the same time on takeoff, at the moment of full thrust - there is an ornithopark nearby. Most likely 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 to do it. to work, not to report. Because even the failure of two engines on the Tu-154 does not kill, the crew would have put the liner on the water one way or another.

And it's stupid when they talk about an old plane, about "it's already been banned." It was not banned, but taken out of use by commercial airlines, because it consumes a lot of fuel, exceeds the norm in terms of noise, and indeed its interior cannot be compared with a Boeing or an Airbus. An airplane has no "old age", it has airworthiness - it is either airworthy or not. In the USA, "Douglases" of 50-60 years fly. 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 already accessible 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. Additional information will be given by the decoding of black boxes. Now they have begun to raise the bodies of the dead. According to TASS, by noon, four bodies had been found and recovered.

In Sochi, an operational headquarters has been created and is working to receive relatives of the dead passengers of the aircraft. Brigades of psychological and psychiatric assistance are on duty at the Sochi airport. 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 did not see the outbreak and did not hear the explosion at the time of the disaster," the press notes.
Politonline.ru's sources in the FSB of Russia also explained why they were checking all those who approached the liner, serviced it and were engaged in technical training. "The version of the terrorist attack is not a priority, but it also needs to be worked out. Yes, the FSB checks everyone who was in contact with the dead aircraft, records are reviewed, polls are conducted - to exclude the version, and not because it is "secretly investigated."

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

- The Tu-154 is a completely reliable aircraft, which is operated not only by the Ministry of Defense, but also in civil aviation. It has proven itself with its reliability and comfort. The fact that military specialists were on board indicates that the aircraft was in full readiness. Because before each flight there is a check - this type of aircraft, it has a certain tolerance, 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 would be, the pilot according to the instructions turned around, landed at the airport of departure. In this situation, we can say that, apparently, there was something on board. Because just like that, planes do not fall, they do not land in an emergency. But why the crew did not report information about what happened to him is also a question.

- What are the options for a 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 this or that reason. 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 plane was refueling in Sochi, could low-quality fuel cause an emergency? Or is it more of an exception than the rule now?

- When refueling takes place at any airport, both on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad, the crew and the team that serves (and I think there is a technical team on board that serves this type of aircraft), they must check the type of fuel according to the passport , its characteristics and so-called fuel samples are taken even before refueling. Therefore, I can’t say yet that this is the reason for low-quality fuel, only the commission can determine, they will definitely take samples at the crash site (in any case, fuel residues will be somewhere). They will be able to find out the quality of the fuel, the state of the systems, and the readiness of the crew. Because in any case, if there was low-quality fuel, it was impossible for three engines to fail at the same time, which could lead to such a disaster. Explosive reason. There is an audible alarm, a light alarm that warns the crew of a particular malfunction. This warning didn't work. Because the warning works for the crew, it gives out information so that the crew competently and correctly follows the recommendations that they have already worked out on the ground. It is sad that this is happening to our colleagues, namely from the Ministry of Defense, precisely to those who were heading there, to a 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, information appeared that 7 ships were searching for the aircraft in the Black Sea, and a Mi-8 helicopter from Sochi airport joined the search. But there was information that the possible point where the plane crashed was in the mountains. Can you explain why there is such conflicting information now?

- Any aircraft that takes off is monitored by dispatch services, locators and helps the crew to correctly build the trajectory of entering the route. If they dodge somewhere, the dispatcher says: you dodge. Because on this airway there are, perhaps, several types of aircraft - in the opposite direction, in the passing direction. And the dispatching service controls and is responsible to some extent for the safety of being on this route. But even if the air traffic control service, the locators could not notice where the mark from this type of aircraft is located ... Because each controller displays the type of aircraft and its call sign on the screen. And when this mark disappears, a command is immediately given to the search service (in this case, these are helicopters that are now searching in the area where the mark may have disappeared). And the situation in the mountains may be such that they have fallen below the detection zone.

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

- It could be the explosive nature of the plane itself, that is, an explosion could occur, and no one could tell - neither the correspondents who were there, nor the crew itself. I can't imagine anything else here.

PS. Almost the entire choir of the Alexandrov Ensemble died

Deceased Director of the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

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

dead journalists.

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

Alexei Pushkov: Those who died in the crash are the heroes of the war on terror

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

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

Those who died in the crash flew to Syria to support our military. All of them are 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 plane 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, and Doctor Lisa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared national 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.

“National mourning will be declared in Russia tomorrow,” Putin said.

Recall that during a scheduled flight from the Sochi airfield after the take-off 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, and Doctor Lisa.

Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, singer, Iosif 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 (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 somehow. But see how the next time turned around "

Kobzon said.

He assured that if he was offered, he would be ready to perform again for the Russian military in Syria.

“I am sincerely sorry, for me this is just shock news. This is a great tragedy for culture, for the 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 aircraft of the Russian Defense Ministry, which fell into the Black Sea. The sent frames show the wreckage of the Tu-154 military aircraft in the water.

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

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

Recall that during a scheduled flight from the Adler airfield after the take-off 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 Dr. Liza.

Participants in the investigation of the Tu-154 crash over the Black Sea, second by second, restored the circumstances of the crash of the liner. Writes about this "Kommersant".

On the day of the crash, the Tu-154 was supposed to make two training flights to transport troops (passengers), equipment and cargo. The first flight went smoothly, but the second "didn't work out right from the start." According to experts, Tu-154 commander Roman Volkov "began to experience difficulties in determining his location" while still on the ground - while the car was moving along taxiways. Volkov allegedly “could not understand at all” from which of the two runways of the airfield he was to take off and which way was better to taxi to the beginning of this runway.

As a result, the liner took off at 5:24 with a heading of 238 °. Already at the seventh second after takeoff, in the cockpit, according to the participants in the investigation, a special situation arose: “Volkov began emotionally, using profanity, to find out from the crew which course they took off.” The captain lost control over the take-off parameters himself and distracted his colleagues from work, experts say.

Then Volkov set the Tu-154 to the correct pitch of 15°, but almost immediately made the first "illogical" action, deflecting the steering wheel away from him and slowing down the climb. At the 53rd second of the flight, when the Tu-154 climbed only 157 meters, Volkov ordered the flaps to be removed, although according to the regulations this must be done at an altitude of 500 meters. At the same time, he himself continued to deflect the helm away from himself. As a result, the liner at around 231 meters went down.

The aircraft began to quickly (6-8 meters per second) lose altitude, the crew's warnings about a dangerous approach to the ground worked. However, none of the pilots paid any attention to this.

At an altitude of 67 meters, the “Left roll is high” alarm went off, and when 34 meters were left to the water, Volkov turned the steering wheel all the way to the right, trying to correct the mistake, but it was too late. At the 73rd second of the flight, the Tu-154, having touched the surface of the sea with its left wing, fell apart and sank. At the time of the collision, the left bank was about 50 °, and the indicated speed was 540 kilometers per hour.

According to experts, the disaster was accompanied by fatigue and poor professional training of the crew. Captain Volkov lost his orientation in space, having fallen into the power of the so-called somatogravitational illusions. The vestibular apparatus "told" him that the plane was climbing too fast, and the pilot began to lower the nose of the plane.

Tu-154 flying from Sochi to Syria, crashed over the Black Sea on 25 December 2016. There were 92 people on board, all of them died. Among the victims of the crash were the artists of the Alexandrov Ensemble and Elizaveta Glinka (Doctor Liza).

At the end of May, the Ministry of Defense announced part of the results of the investigation into the Tu-154 crash. The commission rejected versions with low-quality fuel, overload and the impact of external factors. According to the military department, the disaster most likely occurred due to a violation of the spatial orientation of the commander.

Last year, on December 25, a Tu-154 passenger plane crashed while flying to Syria with the Alexandrov Ensemble on board. The crash killed everyone on the plane. Since then, many versions of what happened have been put forward. However, there was no final summing up of the results of the investigation. According to the official report of the RF IC, which the department released a year after the disaster, there was definitely no terrorist attack on board the Tu-154.

Exactly one year ago, one of the largest air crashes in the recent history of Russia occurred. A passenger plane Tu-154 B-2, which belonged to the Russian Ministry of Defense, crashed into the Black Sea. As a result of the tragedy, all 92 people on board the liner - 84 passengers and eight crew members - were killed.

The plane flew on the route Moscow - Latakia, it was supposed to deliver the legendary ensemble of the Russian Defense Ministry named after Aleksandrov to the Khmeimim airbase in Syria. There, the musicians were supposed to give a festive concert for Russian servicemen who participated in the operation on Syrian territory. The car was supposed to make an intermediate landing in Mozdok, but due to bad weather conditions, the “carcass” sat down in Adler near Sochi, where it replenished fuel supplies.

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The search group included about 3.5 thousand people, 45 ships were involved (including 7 ships of the Black Sea Fleet), 192 divers, deep-sea vehicles, 12 aircraft and 5 helicopters, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. The Russians were also helped by employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Abkhazia.

A few hours later, the agency’s operations delivered terrible news: no one managed to survive the disaster. Among those who crashed were artists of the choir and ballet of the Alexandrov Ensemble, including choreographer-director People's Artist of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Yermolin, artistic director of the ensemble, Lieutenant-General Valery Khalilov, three film crews of the Zvezda, Channel One and NTV channels.

The well-known human rights activist, head of the Fair Aid Foundation, Elizaveta Glinka, known as Doctor Liza, also died as a result of the tragedy.

Previously, she took part in various charity events, and also gained fame thanks to the rescue of children from the conflict zone in the Donbass. Glinka turned out to be almost the only person whose activities were positively assessed by officials of both Russia and Ukraine.

Condolences in connection with what happened to the Russian side were then expressed by the leaders of many states, heads of major religious denominations, artists of Russia and other countries. December 26 in the Russian Federation and neighboring Belarus was declared a day of mourning.

Only on the third day of the operation was the first - speech - "black box" of the crashed Tu-154 found. A day later, a second parametric flight recorder was found. On December 29, the active phase of the search operation was completed. In total, the bodies of 20 people and numerous remains were found. The found bodies and fragments of the bodies of the victims of the disaster were sent to Moscow for identification and genetic examination. On the same day, the first funeral of the victims of the disaster took place, they were interred at the Military Memorial Cemetery in Mytishchi.

During the search, they also found a large number of wreckage of a crashed aircraft. They were located at a distance of 1.7 thousand meters from the coast and had a scatter radius of 500 meters.

In addition, during the search operation, fragments of an American-made Douglas A-20 Havoc / DB-7 Boston bomber, delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease from the USA and crashed on November 15, 1942, were also found. Also, several unexploded bombs were found at the bottom of the sea, which were then destroyed.

Immediately after the tragic incident, the Military Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee (IC) of the Russian Federation for the Sochi garrison opened a criminal case under Article 351 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Violation of flight rules that entailed grave consequences”). Later, the case was transferred to the central office of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. Assisted in investigative work and the FSB of the Russian Federation.

A number of experts drew attention to the fact that the area of ​​​​the wreckage of the aircraft is very large, which could indicate an explosion on board the Tu-154, which occurred as a result of a terrorist attack or sabotage. However, in the very first month of the investigation, several media outlets, citing their sources, reported that the investigation ruled out the version of a terrorist attack.

Later, the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maxim Sokolov explained to journalists that the large spread of debris was due to a strong current in the Black Sea, which carried the fragments of the liner towards the Abkhazian coast.

However, on December 29, a press conference was held on the preliminary results of the investigation. All the same Sokolov and the head of the Aviation Safety Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Sergey Baynetov, participated in it. They stated that, according to the radio traffic, there was a "special situation" on board shortly after takeoff. As follows from the voice recorder data, the last words of the crew members were the cry: “Commander, we are falling!”.

Also, work with the "black boxes" showed that the liner's flaps were retracted out of sync, which could lead to a rollover of the aircraft. At the same time, a version arose in the GSU that. that the cause of the death of the Tu-154 could be the failure of the aircraft's hydraulic system, which led to the complete loss of the crew's ability to control the machine. And the failure of the hydraulic system could have occurred due to a short circuit in one of the liner's engines.

By March 2017, the technical part of the crash investigation was completed. The experts' conclusions differed quite a lot from the initial versions of what happened. So, it follows from them that the plane did not fall sharply into the sea, but crashed while landing on the water in a controlled flight (instead of continuing to climb, the commander began to descend). The cause of the disaster, according to experts, could be the disorientation of the pilot in space: supposedly in the dark, over the sea, he did not visually control the position of the liner, because he did not see any landmarks ahead, or even the horizon.

On April 26, 2017, Gazeta.Ru published material according to which the cause of the disaster was an overload of the aircraft. According to sources of Gazeta.Ru, after refueling in Adler, the weight of the aircraft was about 110 tons instead of the standard 98, and the crew did not know about the overload.

“It is possible that something relatively small in volume, but significant in terms of its specific gravity, was placed on the plane,” the source said at the time. The next day, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation officially announced that the version of the reloading of the aircraft was not true.

On May 24, 2017, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the final version of the cause of the disaster was “99% clear” and promised to name it soon. At the end of May, information was published in various media citing a source in the Ministry of Defense that the mistake of the crew commander, Major Roman Volkov, led to the plane crash.

Another version of what happened was the assumption that there was an outsider in the cockpit in the co-pilot's seat, not trained and not allowed to fly, who mixed up the levers, retracting the flaps and leaving the landing gear.

According to Novaya Gazeta, this man was a military pilot who had extensive experience, but who flew other aircraft and held the position of senior instructor-pilot of the flight training service of military unit No. 42829. It was decided not to name his name for ethical reasons. The portal "Notebook - News of Krasnodar and the Krasnodar Territory", however, wrote that the outsider was Lieutenant Colonel Andrei Kolosovsky, who the day before the Tu-154 crash received the title "Honored Military Pilot" from the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Be that as it may, no information about the completion of the investigation was given on the website of the Russian Ministry of Defense, no official press release was published, and no press conference was held following the results of the investigation.

After the emergency, a frame made a few seconds after the Tu-154 took off got on the Internet. It shows a flash on board the liner, which some experts interpreted as an explosion. However, due to the low quality of the shooting and the dark time of the day, it is not possible to conclude what exactly is captured in this frame.

At the same time, the official representative of the RF IC, Svetlana Petrenko, on Monday, December 25, stressed that the version of the terrorist attack on board the aircraft was ruled out. These are the results of numerous examinations.

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 band lost its best soloists, the first line-up. Passengers on a military flight flew to the Khmeimim airbase to wish Happy New Year to Russian soldiers and officers who had been liberating Syria from terrorists for the second year. The causes of the disaster have not been fully elucidated to this day. About the current versions - in the material RIA Novosti.

Old but reliable

Board RA-85572 could hardly be called 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 60,000 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 crash, some difficulties arose with the aircraft - airfield services discovered a fuel leak from the wing tank. But the problems were quickly eliminated, the work was accepted by military acceptance. Before departure on December 25, 2016, the aircraft passed all the necessary checks, it was recognized as fully operational and ready for a long flight.

The plane took off after refueling at the Sochi airport at 05:25 Moscow time. The liner was piloted by 35-year-old major Roman Volkov, who had 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 lower boundary of the clouds was 1000 meters, and the wind speed did not exceed four meters per second. The aircraft took off from the runway (RWY) at the 37th second after the start of the run, at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour. The crew made two 90-degree turns to starboard 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.

Shortly after the tragedy, the military investigation 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 that entailed grave consequences." Later, the case was transferred to the central office of the Investigative Committee. The operational support of the investigation was undertaken by the FSB of Russia. In addition, a commission of the Ministry of Defense headed by Deputy Minister, General of the Army Pavel Popov was created. As Lieutenant-General Sergey Baynetov, head of the aviation safety service of the Armed Forces, said at the end of December, more than 15 versions of the plane crash were initially worked out. Later their number decreased.

Human factor

The first versions of the causes of the crash on the day after the crash were voiced by the FSB of Russia: foreign objects getting into the engine, low-quality fuel, piloting error or a technical malfunction of the aircraft. Representatives of the investigation stressed that the plane did not carry military or dual-use cargo. No signs of sabotage or terrorist attack 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 led to the destruction of the airframe in the air. In addition, experts did not rule out that co-pilot Alexander Rovensky could have made a fatal mistake by mixing up the landing gear and flaps control levers. For this reason, the aircraft could not gain altitude, began to fall and hit the tail of the water.

Later, experts studied the issue of the ship's workload. In April, the media reported that the crash could have occurred due to an overload of the liner. Then the journalists claimed 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 loading and centering the transported cargo."

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

Set point early

Earlier, journalists from the Kommersant newspaper came to similar conclusions by publishing their own investigation, supported by comments from informed sources. It was alleged, in particular, that the pilot Roman Volkov began to experience difficulties in determining his location while still on the ground - he could not figure out which of the two lanes he would take off from. According to the publication, the aircraft commander stopped navigating in space immediately after takeoff. Instead of relying on instrument readings, 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 climbing too fast, so the major began to lower the nose of the plane. This, as Kommersant writes, led to the crash.

However, the Investigative Committee, which has already extended the investigation 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 specialists would need a few more months. According to him, the repeated suspensions are due to the need for additional investigative actions and the collection of exhaustive evidence in the criminal case.

“It is quite possible that this is not the last extension of the investigation due to the fact that a complex examination is currently being carried out, which is not possible to complete in a short time,” the source emphasized.