Tu 154 over the Black Sea details. “Unless it’s collective insanity. Valery Shelkovnikov, board member of the World Flight Safety Foundation

Early in the morning of December 25, a Tu-154 plane flying to Syria, with 92 people on board, crashed into the Black Sea, one and a half kilometers from the shores of Sochi. These are the crew, military personnel, journalists and musicians of the Alexandrov Ensemble.

The search operation immediately involved four ships, four helicopters, an airplane and an unmanned aerial vehicle. And by 15.00 the group of specialists working on site amounted to more than three thousand people.

To organize operational control, coordinate rescue forces and deliver relatives to the scene of the disaster, operational groups were deployed and began work at the Chkalovsky, Adler airfields and in the port of Sochi.

Having learned about the approximate location of the crash (although it was immediately clear that it was somewhere at sea and quite far from the coast), not only rescuers, law enforcement officers, doctors, journalists, but also ordinary residents of the seaside city began to flock to the coast of the Khostinsky district of the city. While on the fairly calm surface of the sea, in a place where there was an oily trail, there was a cluster of boats, ships and helicopters, Sochi residents crowded at the water’s edge, despite the early hour. Another part of the residents simply stopped their cars at the side of the road and watched what was happening from above, from the junction. These “spectators” had only one thing in common - silence.

I heard about what was happening on the radio and I was shocked. I worked all night, I’m tired, but I’ll stay longer. I don't even know why. I probably want to help, but I don’t know how. I heard that sometimes the waves carried the victims to the shore. But now, of course, it’s unlikely. “Complete calm,” says Sochi taxi driver Andrey.

An hour and a half later, several traffic police squads arrived here (to the surprise of those present, with machine guns at the ready). The people in uniform politely asked to leave so as not to create congestion on the road. Indeed, after a few minutes in the direction local airport, where the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Defense settled, several dozen ambulances and rescuers went.

And after a couple of hours, the news feeds were blown up by a message about a terrible find - fragments of the chassis and the first bodies. A list of those on board also appeared. It contains 92 names. Among them are 8 crew members, 8 military personnel, nine media employees (three each from the Zvezda TV channel, NTV and Channel One), the head of the Fair Aid Foundation Elizaveta Glinka, two civil servants and 64 musicians from the Alexandrov Ensemble.

Soon a criminal case was opened under an article on violation of flight safety rules or preparation for them. Of course, a lot of versions have matured. Thus, the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Viktor Ozerov, immediately stated that the cause could be a technical malfunction or pilot error. Moreover, he immediately ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.

I completely rule out the possibility of a terrorist attack. The plane of the Ministry of Defense, the airspace of the Russian Federation, there cannot be such a version here, Ozerov is sure. - The plane had to make a turn over the sea after takeoff, perhaps it did not reach the desired trajectory.

Click to enlarge. Infographics RG / Alexander Smirnov / Yuri Gavrilov

True, a little later, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, said that the plane was flown by an experienced pilot Roman Aleksandrovich Volkov (first class pilot, total flight time was about 3.5 thousand hours), and the aircraft was produced in 1983. The airliner's total flight time was about 7 thousand hours. Moreover, according to official information, the last repair took place on December 29, 2014, and in September the aircraft underwent scheduled routine maintenance. The reliability of this airliner model was also confirmed by experienced mechanics who could not remember the emergency with the Tu-154 at all. That is, in essence, the possibility of pilot error and aircraft malfunction is quite small.

In turn, other, no longer official, versions began to spread. For example, almost immediately the shallows caused the birds to damage the ship - they say, at such an early time they practically do not fly.

Experts promised to carry out work to recover bodies and debris from the depths around the clock

Meanwhile, if there was no storm at sea in the morning, by mid-day weather forecasters issued warnings about increased wind and possible snowfall. However, experts promised to carry out work to recover bodies and debris from the depths around the clock.

In turn, the regional operational headquarters, created by decision of the governor of Kuban, Veniamin Kondratyev, first of all began preparing accommodation for the relatives of the victims arriving in Sochi, organizing transfers for them from the airport to hotels. Several local sanatoriums of the Ministry of Defense have already been prepared for reception. Plus, the region’s medical services have deployed additional psychological assistance centers at the airport and in places where relatives of disaster victims are located.

Joseph Kobzon: "They were flying on a combat mission..."

For these talented and courageous people, it seems that there were no obstacles in life, they were not afraid of anything and overcame any difficulties. The ensemble named after Alexandrov was considered one of the symbols in the world modern Russia: strong, sincere, calm and always able to support people with a good song and that confidence in their undoubted strengths that came from these strong and sincere men and beautiful, amazingly bright women.

The soloists of the ensemble, its orchestra, dancers, choir - we were friends with them at Rossiyskaya Gazeta for many years, the artists came to visit us, performed for our readers and editorial guests. As always, they performed in the most distant garrisons. Moreover, what the musicians themselves and the leaders of the group were most proud of in our conversations, by the way, was not the fact that they had already traveled the entire globe with concerts more than once, but namely, performances for Russian soldiers and officers. No longer in large halls with thousands of people, as in Europe, but in army cultural centers and even in the field. And we, journalists, visited them and attended various performances.

We were even personal friends with some people, and sometimes argued about what a modern song should be, so that it would still bring light and warmth, inspire our souls, and maybe even “help us build and live,” and not be one-day sing-alongs , which are now in abundance on the stage. They talked about the classics - that thanks to the performance of the "Alexandrovites" it becomes more understandable and close even to those who did not like it before... So the soloists of the ensemble sang the great Russian romances in such a way that everyone in the audience also wanted to become a little kinder , wiser and cleaner...

Over its long, almost 90-year history, the Alexandrov Ensemble has proven that it can perform any work so that the hall will again be sold out. And how did the ensemble’s soloist Vladislav Golikov sing the military song “On a Sunny Meadow” in other – more familiar and beloved all over the world – “Alexandrovsky” concerts?!

Or Victor Sanin, who conquered Quebec and was a soloist with the “Alexandrovites” at the International Festival of Military Bands - how he sang the freewheeling “Amur Waves”?! All of them are also in the "List of passengers of the fallen Tu-154"

However, while there is still at least a small hope that someone is alive, I want to believe in it, hope and pray...

They flew for the report

On board the fallen Tu-154, in addition to the other passengers, there were three film crews - Channel One, NTV and the Zvezda channel. All channels changed their broadcast schedule due to the terrible tragedy.

Among the Channel One employees who were on board the Tu-154 military aircraft that crashed in the Black Sea were correspondent Dmitry Runkov, cameraman Vadim Denisov and sound engineer Alexander Soydov.

On its website, the channel writes that Dmitry Runkov was supposed to be only 30 years old. Dima began his career as a television journalist in his native Arkhangelsk, and five years ago he moved to St. Petersburg. “Whatever topic Dima subsequently tackles - be it the snow-covered Vostochny cosmodrome or a hot water area Mediterranean Sea, from where our missile-carrying ships fired at terrorists in Syria, these were always bright and understandable stories. “Explaining complex things in simple language is the true art of a reporter,” this is what his colleagues say about him.

Due to his duty, Dmitry often had to deal with military topics. This is not only live shooting: Dmitry made reports on the rehearsal of the Victory Parade and historical reconstructions.

Vadim Denisov has worked on Channel One since 2002. He worked in Syria twice and was awarded state awards. The Channel One story, which appeared on the day of the tragedy, tells how he went on one of the Syrian business trips with his colleague Klim Sanatkin for literally one day, but it turned out to be two weeks. The militants closed the encirclement, preventing the film crew from being withdrawn. So the guys didn’t get on the helicopter, which was eventually destroyed by terrorists. A cinematographer with extensive experience, a highly qualified specialist, a reliable person. Vadim did not refuse this time either. It was not he who was supposed to fly to Syria this time. It was an unplanned trip, which he immediately agreed to. Vadim Denisov is survived by his wife and three children.

Alexander Soydov was 33, married, two children. He was interested in music. Alexander, like Vadim Denisov, this time went to Syria outside of school hours, and also could not refuse. He worked at Channel One for 10 years.

Channel One changed its broadcast schedule in connection with the incident: on Sunday, December 25, the finale of the entertainment show “Just the Same” was removed from the air, as well as promotional videos for New Year’s projects and screensavers dedicated to the upcoming holidays. In addition, the live broadcast of the finale of the intellectual and entertainment program “What? Where? When?” was removed from the air. Because of the incident, the channel also postponed the secular premiere of the historical epic “Viking” - it was supposed to take place in Moscow early next week.

The NTV channel also reported that its journalists were on board the Tu-154. According to the TV channel, this is a correspondent - NTV producer Mikhail Luzhetsky, cameraman Oleg Pestov and sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov. Sound engineer Evgeny Tolstov, before taking off from Chkalovsk near Moscow, posted on his page in social network Facebook post in which he announced that he was going to Latakia.

NTV also announced that it had changed its broadcast schedule - the channel took off the air the evening edition of the Kinoshow program and the new film This is What Happens to Me, in which Gosha Kutsenko played the main role. The channel launched breaking news broadcasts and removed announcements of entertainment programs.

According to confirmed data, three journalists from the Zvezda TV channel were also on board the fallen Tu-154. Correspondent Pavel Obukhov, cameraman Alexander Suranov and assistant cameraman Valery Rzhevsky. In connection with the tragedy that occurred with the Tu-154, the Zvezda TV channel also changed its broadcasting schedule. Entertainment TV shows are canceled (including new program"This Morning"), advertisement. During the period of mourning, the grid will be filled with military-patriotic films. News comes out every hour.

Condolences

The capital will help the loved ones of the victims

The Moscow government will provide the necessary assistance to relatives and friends of the passengers of the Tu-154, which crashed off the coast of Sochi. Mayor of the capital Sergei Sobyanin talks about this reported on his Twitter page.

“My condolences to the loved ones of those on board the crashed plane. A terrible tragedy,” he wrote. “I have instructed the Social Security Department to provide the necessary assistance.”

Tu-154 passenger list

Crew:

• Major Volkov R.A.,
• captain Rovensky A.V.,
• Lieutenant Colonel Petukhov A.N.,
• captain Mamonov A.V.,
• senior lieutenant
• Hairdressers V.N.,
• Major Tregubov V.A.,
• senior lieutenant Sushkov B.S.,
• senior lieutenant Sukhanov A.O.

Military personnel:

• Lieutenant General Khalilov V.M.,
• Colonel Khasanov A.B.,
• Colonel Vaganov N.I.,
• Colonel Ivanov A.Yu.,
• Lieutenant Colonel Kolosovsky A.V.,
• Major Dolinsky A.I.,
• Colonel Negrub A.N.,
• captain Abrosimov S.S.

Civil servants:

• Gubankov A.N.
• Badrutdinova O.T.

International public organization "Fair Aid":

• Glinka E.P.

• Runkov D.A.,
• Denisov V.V.,
• Soydov A.A.,
• Luzhetsky M.V.,
• Obukhov P.K.,
• Pestov O.M.,
• Rzhevsky V.V.,
• Suranov A.A.,
• Tolstov E.V.

Ensemble named after Alexandrova:

• Sonnikov A.V.,
• Guzhova L.A.,
• Ivashko A.N.,
• Brodsky V.A.,
• Bulochnikov E.V.,
• Golikov V.V.,
• Osipov G.L.,
• Sanin V.V.,
• Mayorov K.V.,
• Buryachenko B.B.,
• Babovnikov D.V.,
• Bazdyrev A.K.,
• Belonozhko D.M.,
• Beschastnov D.A.,
• Vasin M.A.,
• Georgiyan O.P.,
• Davidenko K.A.,
• Deniskin S.I.,
• Zhuravlev P.V.,
• Zakirov P.P.,
• Ivanov M.A.,
• Ivanov A.V.,
• Kotlyar S.A.,
• Kochemasov A.S.,
• Krivtsov A.A.,
• Litvyakov D.N.,
• Mokrikov A.O.,
• Morgunov A.A.,
• Nasibulin Zh.A.,
• Novokshanov Yu.M.,
• Polyakov V.V.,
• Savelyev A.V.,
• Sokolovsky A.V.,
• Tarasenko A.N.,
• Trofimov A.S.,
• Uzlovsky A.A.,
• Khalimon V.L.,
• Shtuko A.A.,
• Kryuchkov I.A.,
• Ermolin V.I.,
• Bykov S.L.,
• Kolobrodov K.A.,
• Korzanov O.V.,
• Larionov I.F.,
• Lyashenko K.I.,
• Mikhalin V.K.,
• staff Sergeant
• Popov V.A.,
• Razumov A.A.,
• Serov A.S.,
• Shakhov I.V.,
• Archukova A.A.,
• Gilmanova P.P.,
• Ignatieva N.V.,
• Klokotova M.A.,
• Korzanova E.I.,
• Pyryeva L.A.,
• Satarova V.I.,
• Trofimova D.S.,
• Khorosheva L.N.,
• Tsvirinko A.I.,
• Shagun O.Yu.,
• Gurar L.I.,
• Sulimanov B.R.,
• Stolyar I.V.

Condolences

President Vladimir Putin, who is currently on a working trip to St. Petersburg, expressed condolences to the families of the victims. “Tomorrow, nationwide mourning will be declared in Russia,” he said. This will also affect Putin’s own program. Today he was supposed to attend a musical light show at Palace Square, but due to mourning he canceled his participation in the event.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev addressed the families and relatives of the victims of the plane crash with words of grief: “This terrible tragedy took the lives of people full of strength and plans. Among the dead were journalists, military personnel and musicians of the famous ensemble named after Alexandrov. They flew to Syria with very kind and a peaceful mission. It is impossible to come to terms with this heavy loss; it is irreparable today. great sorrow shared by millions of people."

The President instructed the head of government to form a commission that will study the circumstances of the incident. “A thorough investigation into the causes of the disaster will be carried out and everything will be done to provide support to the families of the victims,” Putin assured.

By order of Dmitry Medvedev, the government commission included representatives of all key departments. Its work was headed by Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, who immediately flew to Sochi.

Identification by relatives of the victims will take place in Moscow; there is no need to fly to Sochi. All relatives are asked to come to the Ministry of Defense for the collection of genetic material and the identification procedure. The necessary telephone numbers and addresses of laboratories where the examination will take place will be posted in the media and on the websites of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The head of the government commission created to provide assistance to the victims and families of those killed in the disaster, the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maxim Sokolov, spoke about this.

The crash happened in the morning, a lot was done during daylight hours, but the search and rescue operation continued in the evening, Sokolov said. “It is very important now to provide assistance to the relatives of the passengers of this plane. But I want to draw everyone’s attention that the main events and all the organization of work with relatives, according to the decision of the government commission, will take place in Moscow at the Ministry of Defense,” Sokolov said.

According to him, in Sochi, although a number of bodies and fragments have already been discovered, such work will not be carried out. The search and rescue operation will last around the clock for as long as necessary, the minister assured, emphasizing that the search is complicated by the fact that the disaster occurred at sea. According to the minister, “there is no information about survivors yet.”

The search for bodies and fragments of the aircraft will be carried out using special devices, light barges, ships with special locators and deep-sea search vehicles. “We will try to do everything so that the bodies are found,” Sokolov noted.

Divers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and deep-sea descent vehicles, as well as deep locators, are arriving to continue the search operation. Yesterday, two such deep locators were already working in the search area. Another locator should arrive this morning from Gelendzhik, and towards the end of the day on Monday more ships will arrive from Novorossiysk, the minister said.

Unfortunately, the flight recorders of this Tu-154 aircraft are not equipped with radio beacons. They will be searched for, like other fragments of the plane. Sokolov expressed hope that they were preserved.

The search for bodies and fragments of the aircraft will be carried out using special devices and light barges

The technical commission of the Ministry of Defense is establishing the causes of the disaster as part of a criminal investigation. The Investigative Committee is working through the full range of versions of the causes of the crash, Sokolov noted, but it is premature to say what exactly led to the disaster.

The technical commission of the Russian Ministry of Defense is investigating the preparedness of the crew of the crashed Tu-154 aircraft. The aircraft commander, as is now known, had sufficient flight hours, the minister emphasized.

The issue of further use of Tu-154 aircraft is not on the agenda yet. As the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko, who is also a member of the government commission, clarified, the Tu-154 is not operated by civil aviation. This type of aircraft is in service with the Ministry of Defense, and this department will decide how to continue operating the Tu-154.

In particular, to stop it or carry out additional work on the fleet of these aircraft for further flights on them. But all this needs to be decided after analyzing the existing circumstances, which the technical commission has just begun, Neradko added.

The commandant of the Moscow Kremlin, Lieutenant General Sergei Khlebnikov, told RG about his friendship with the artistic director of the Alexandrov ensemble, Valery Khalilov, who died in the Black Sea.

Sergei Khlebnikov: We have known Valery Mikhailovich Khalilov for almost 13 years. It so happened that at one time he was appointed head of the military band service of the Ministry of Defense, and I was appointed commandant of the Moscow Kremlin. And since then we have interacted very closely: during the preparation of military parades on Red Square, we carried out music festivals. Moscow international festival"Ode to Peace", in particular.

And then they decided that the country needed a major military music festival. And at the origins of this festival, which today is called “Spasskaya Tower”, stood Valery Mikhailovich.

You can recall your last meetings and contacts with Valery Mikhailovich. What did you plan, what did you argue about?

Sergei Khlebnikov: In January, after the New Year holidays, we wanted to get together. On Old New Year they planned to congratulate him, as well as the director of the festival, on the government award. The other day Valery Mikhailovich received it. They wanted to discuss plans for August, approve the idea of ​​the anniversary festival, this is his favorite brainchild.

Our condolences go out to his wife and his entire family - he has a big, friendly family.

I want to say that everyone who knew him, when the news of the tragedy came, first hoped for something. Then there was shock, grief... My phone was literally blowing up: many knew that we not only worked with him, but were also friends. People close to us died on this plane, including Anton Nikolaevich Gubankov, head of the cultural department of the Ministry of Defense. Of course, no one will remain aloof from this grief. And the Spasskaya Tower festival will not remain; we will help our family and friends to somehow withstand this blow. We sympathize with everyone, all those who died.

Despite the fact that the loss is irreparable, life goes on. In March, a concert by Valery Mikhailovich Khalilov was planned in Berlin. We will do everything to make this concert happen. He wrote a lot of musical works: marches, symphonies, romances. These works will live forever.

Sergei Dmitrievich, now there is operational information on tape and on air, and there are many inaccuracies. Valery Khalilov is usually called the chief conductor of the Ministry of Defense. But since the spring of this year, he has headed the legendary ensemble named after Alexandrov. Probably, not everyone remembers that Mireille Mathieu discovered precisely this group for our country. It was during his tour in Paris in 1961: the French impresario came out to our musicians and said that he had a very good girl with a beautiful voice. He persuaded us to perform together. It was Mireille Mathieu.

Sergei Khlebnikov: Recently I was in France on festival business. There they remembered this story with Alexandrov’s ensemble. And they even wanted to repeat it. Because this ensemble was assigned a role as one of the prominent participants in the next anniversary “Spasskaya Tower”.

Mireille Mathieu has repeated more than once that she cannot help but worry before performances on Red Square, but she is calmed when conductor Valery Khalilov is between her and hundreds of musicians. As she said: “Thanks to him, a symbiosis occurs between me and the orchestra members.” Have you called Mireille Mathieu? Does she already know about the tragedy?

Sergei Khlebnikov: Condolences have already arrived from close people who are in contact with her.

There is a website for the Spasskaya Tower. In fact, there is a virtual museum of the festival on it. Is there any idea to devote a separate section to Khalilov? He, of course, often got into the lenses, but photographs prevail when Valery Mikhailovich is in full parade, with a conductor’s baton. It would be great to see pictures of this amazing person in an informal setting.

Sergei Khlebnikov: I'll tell the management. Now let’s recover a little from the shock and do it. Good, correct proposal. I’m also going through his photographs in my archive. He smiles at many...

Direct speech

Valery Khalilov two days before the disaster gave an interview to RG about New Year's holiday of your childhood.

Towards the end of the year, a special issue of RG-Week was being prepared, in which famous people talk about the Christmas trees of their childhood. One of our interlocutors was a lieutenant general, a military conductor of Russia. He, as always, was friendly and correct in conversation, never complained about lack of time - and this despite his enormous busyness. Open to communication: whenever we called him, he was always like that. And today these words - alas - can be considered his last Happy New Year greetings:

As a child, gifts were placed not under the tree, but under the pillow. But every evening on December 31st I went to bed impatient, and every morning on January 1st, I put my hand under the pillow and took out a gray paper bag with cookies, sweets and tangerines. We weren’t particularly spoiled then, my parents had no choice, but from then on the tangerine smell was closely associated with the New Year tree.

Prepared by Susanna Alperina, Andrey Vasyanin

Dry lines from the Ministry of Defense website: the list of passengers on the crashed plane includes the head of the international public organization"Fair help" Elizaveta Glinka. I don’t want to believe this, so many people were left destitute by this death, such a great loss for the most unfortunate in this world: the children of Donbass and Syria, the homeless, the children with cancer in Kyiv, where she opened a private hospice.

In our last interview six months ago, we talked to her about what in this life could make her stop saving people. Her answer then shocked her with harsh laconicism: “Only a bullet.” At the same time, with tears in their voices that were unusual for a strong person accustomed to the loss of a person, the crew of pilot Leonid Filin, who died in a plane crash while putting out fires in Irkutsk, remembered. It was with him that Doctor Lisa transported sick and wounded children of Donbass from Rostov to Moscow. She said that she grieved immensely. All these details are now being built into a bitter chain of foreboding tragedy.

With Lisa - Elizaveta Petrovna - it was very easy and difficult for the journalist at the same time. She had no time to talk, but if she saw that you wanted to help, she immediately included you in her orbit of people inclined to volunteer service and switched to “you.”

Doctor Lisa accompanied a humanitarian cargo for a hospital in Latakia

“Do you want to see how we work? Come on Wednesday at five to Paveletsky. Don’t be afraid. We’ll give you a mask and gloves. Don’t be late.”

“Why do you, successful, wealthy, happy, need degenerate and bad-smelling homeless people? Why are you bothering with them?” - I asked Lisa many times. “I love people,” she answered and looked sternly with her huge eyes.

Social partnership, which everyone remembered today, has been concrete work for her for twenty years now: hospices, the “House of Mercy” for families from Ukraine, lunches for the poor, and now Syria. Lisa was flying on the crashed plane, accompanying a humanitarian cargo for the university hospital in Tishrin in Latakia.

She was like a front-line surgeon: time is life. The voice is low, for all its fragility, very businesslike and, at first glance, not at all romantic.

It was felt that he couldn’t stand what we, journalists, expect from conversations with such people: no heart-warming stories, no lisps and sobs over the “poor homeless people.” I remember very well how I abruptly stopped trying to compare her with another Doctor who helped sick prisoners in prisons and hard labor in the century before last: “Doctor Haass is a saint, and I am an ordinary woman.” And she began to bandage the purulent wound of the old homeless man...

Wise, fair, unperturbed, as if she was no longer surprised by anything.

But I couldn’t let children with war wounds pass through my heart without emotions. She said how she cried, that they were a real shock for her. She listed how she prayed: Vanya Voronov, Oksana Voinarovskaya, four-year-old Yastrebov Bogdan, Yulya Kurenkova with a severe hip wound from Gorlovka...

They are not the only ones crying now. Dr. Lisa not only helped thousands of people survive by clothing and feeding them. She reassured me with her attitude: there will still be happiness in their lives, they are needed and loved, simply because they are people.

This hope, so necessary for any person, could not be forgiven by the Facebook scoundrels who recently wished Lisa death. She answered them long ago: “Any manifestation of feelings needs a measure. And if this measure is not there, then a barrier or border is crossed, beyond which there is emptiness. And this emptiness is slowly occupied by a hell created by hatred. From which it is sometimes impossible to get out, like from a quagmire that pulls you to the bottom. It seems to me that you need to watch your words, observing the basic law of medicine - no harm to yourself and those around you. And the essence is simple. You just have to love people.

From the RG dossier

To avoid annoying journalists from fashion publications who were interested in the cult figure of the Russian Internet, Lisa published repeated questions and her answers. I treated this with humor. Even to the last one.

-Who is your makeup artist?

I don't have one.

- When did you have time to give birth to children?

I tried very hard and managed to do it.

- What kind of perfume do you wear?

Balmain de Balmain.

- If you were a flower, what kind would you be?

Lavender.

- Do you really love everyone?

No it is not true. I love some especially deeply.

- How many hours do you sleep at night?

5-6. That's enough for me.

“Aren’t you afraid that they’ll kill you someday?”

The body of Elizaveta Glinka has not been found, so there is no official confirmation of her death yet.

MOSCOW, December 25 – RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. December 2016 left another terrible date in the historical calendar of Russia. Exactly a year ago, the disaster over the Black Sea 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 lineup. Passengers on the military flight flew to the Khmeimim airbase to congratulate Russian soldiers and officers who had been liberating Syria from terrorists for the second year. The causes of the disaster are not fully understood to this day. About the current versions - in the RIA Novosti material.

Old but reliable

The RA-85572 aircraft could hardly be called new. It was built on Kuibyshevsky aircraft factory in 1983. By December 2016, the 33-year-old Tu-154 had flown 6,689 hours. However, for aircraft of this type the age limit is 40 years, and the service life is 60 thousand flight hours. During its entire operation, it never seriously broke down, and the last scheduled repair took place in 2014. A few days before the disaster, some difficulties arose with the aircraft - airfield services discovered a fuel leak from the wing tank. But the problems were promptly corrected, and the work was accepted by military authorities. Before departure on December 25, 2016, the plane passed all the necessary checks, it was found to be fully operational and ready for a long flight.

The plane took off after refueling at Sochi airport at 05:25 Moscow time. The airliner was piloted by 35-year-old Major Roman Volkov, who had flown more than three thousand hours in his practice. The weather conditions that morning were favorable: visibility was about 10 kilometers, the air temperature was minus five degrees, the height of the cloud base was 1000 meters, and the wind speed did not exceed four meters per second. The plane lifted off the runway at 37 seconds after the start of the takeoff 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 investigative department Investigative Committee(IC) for the Sochi garrison opened a criminal case under Article 351 of the Criminal Code of Russia - “Violation of flight rules that resulted in grave consequences.” Later the case was transferred to the central office of the Investigative Committee. The Russian FSB took over operational support of the investigation. In addition, a commission of the Ministry of Defense was created, headed by Deputy Minister, Army General Pavel Popov. As the head of the aviation safety service of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Sergei Baynetov, said at the end of December, initially more than 15 versions of the plane crash were worked out. Later their number decreased.

Human factor

The first versions of the causes of the crash were announced the day after the plane crash by the Russian FSB: foreign objects entering the engine, low-quality fuel, piloting error or technical malfunction of the aircraft. Representatives of the investigation emphasized that the plane did not transport military or dual-use cargo. There were also no signs of sabotage or terrorist attack. 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 have been opened fire from a man-portable anti-aircraft missile system, which resulted in the destruction of the airframe in the air. In addition, experts did not rule out that the co-pilot Alexander Rovensky could have made a fatal mistake when he mixed up the landing gear and flap control levers. For this reason, the plane was unable to gain altitude, began to fall and hit the water with its tail.

Later, experts studied the issue of the ship's workload. In April, information appeared in the media that the crash could have occurred due to the airliner being overloaded. Then journalists claimed that instead of the standard 98 tons, the weight of the aircraft at takeoff was allegedly more than 110 tons. As a result, the Ministry of Defense found no “violations of the current requirements regarding the seating of passengers in the Tu-154 cabin, as well as the loading and alignment of the transported cargo.”

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

It’s too early to draw a line

Earlier, journalists from the Kommersant newspaper came to similar conclusions, publishing their own investigation, supported by comments from informed sources. It was alleged, in particular, that the pilot Roman Volkov began to have difficulty determining his location while still on the ground - he could not understand in any way which of the two runways he would take off from. According to the publication, the commander of the aircraft lost his orientation in space immediately after takeoff. Instead of trusting the instrument readings, as required by all flight instructions, the pilot Volkov began to rely on his own physiological sensations. The vestibular apparatus “informed” him that the car was gaining altitude too quickly, so the major began to lower the nose of the plane. This, as Kommersant writes, led to the crash.

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

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

“Erroneous actions of the crew” are named as the cause of the Tu-154 crash over the Black Sea, which occurred on December 25, 2016. RIA Novosti, citing the Ministry of Defense, reported: “Based on the results of the investigation, it was established that the cause of the incident could have been a violation of the spatial orientation (situational awareness) of the aircraft commander, which led to his erroneous actions with the aircraft controls.”

Almost simultaneously with the RIA Novosti report, four pages of the report of the head of the Aviation Flight Safety Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Sergei Baynetov, on the results of the work of the “inquiry commission” were leaked onto the Internet aviation accident" The document is very similar to the real one. It is dated May 4, 2017 and has the reference number 137/2/883 DSP (the abbreviation DSP means for official use).

The report of Lieutenant General Baynetov describes in great detail the last flight of the crashed Tu-154, which was part of the 800th special purpose airbase of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). At the same time, the last minutes are second by second. Key takeaways from the document: “The cause of the crash of the Tu-154 B-2 aircraft was a violation of spatial orientation (situational awareness) of the aircraft commander, which led to his erroneous actions with the aircraft controls, as a result of which the aircraft, during the climb, went into descent and collided with the water surface.” .

The document emphasizes that the aircraft commander, Major Roman Volkov “began to experience difficulties in determining his location on the airfield, associated with his idea of ​​​​the upcoming take-off course”, not understanding which of the two runways of the Sochi airport would take off from.

At 5 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds the crew began takeoff with a heading of 238°. But already in the seventh second of takeoff, the aircraft commander (PIC) “emotionally began to ask the crew about the takeoff course.” Moreover, with the use of “obscene language,” which led to “to the PIC’s failure to control take-off ground parameters, to the distraction of crew members from performing their functional duties”.

Having barely taken off from the ground, setting the plane to a pitch of 15°, Major Volkov turned the steering wheel away from himself, slowing down the climb. And already at the 53rd second of the flight, when the plane had gained only 157 meters of altitude, the PIC ordered the flaps to be removed, although according to all regulations this operation is carried out at an altitude of at least 500 meters. At the same time, Volkov continued to tilt the steering wheel away from himself. Which led to the fact that at an altitude of 231 meters the plane switched to descent mode, losing altitude at a speed of 6-8 m/s. The siren sounded and the red display flashed in the cockpit. But none of the crew paid attention to this.

At the 70th second of the flight, when the Tu-154 was only 90 meters from the surface of the water, the PIC abruptly turned the aircraft, which was turning with a slight right bank of about 10°, into a steep left bank of 53°. The plane rushed to the surface of the water three times faster, at a speed of 20 m/s, and was already doomed.

At the 73rd second of flight, the Tu-154, at a speed of 540 km/h and a left roll of about 50, touched the surface of the sea with its left wing, fell apart and sank.

The report of Lieutenant General Baynetov indicated that the emergence of a critical situation on board the Tu-154 was facilitated by the “emotional and physiological fatigue” of commander Volkov, as well as his lack of “sustainable skills” in piloting in difficult situations.

Experienced military pilots, whom we asked to comment on the commission’s conclusions about the causes of the Sochi disaster and the document distributed on the Internet, similar to the report of the head of the Aviation Safety Service of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, agreed that there were many inconsistencies in both the official report and the “document.”

Our experts noticed that at the Sochi airport the planes taxi to the start behind the escort vehicle. In addition, the airport is equipped with illuminated taxiway and runway number signs. It is almost impossible to get lost at Sochi airport. If Major Volkov is “lost” already on the ground, a take-off ban should immediately follow.

It is impossible to explain what happened after takeoff:

“Unless there has been collective insanity,” said one of our experts. “The actions of both the captain and crew are absolutely inadequate. The actions of the rudders (especially the rudder - from the pedals) after takeoff cannot be explained normally. The flight speed indicated in the document allows the plane to stay in the air, but a normal, trained, tested and approved pilot for this type of flight could not allow such actions with the rudders.

The actual withdrawal of the co-pilot and navigator also defies explanation:

— The crew sees that the PIC is making one fatal mistake after another, and does nothing. This is impossible in military transport aviation.

“We can assume that KPP-1 (the flight control instrument is the main instrument of any aircraft) failed,” another of our interlocutors suggested. — The “document” says about its direct indication, they say, it’s difficult. Yes, it's difficult. During retraining, on the simulator. And Volkov was an experienced pilot. In addition, KPP-1 has a backup attitude indicator AGR-72.

Our experts noticed that the “document” says that the landing gear was removed, but in all the photographs of the collected debris of the crashed Tu-154, the landing gear is in the extended position.

One of our experts, a military transport aviation veteran with more than 10 thousand flight hours, of which about 4 thousand as a Tu-154 crew commander, continues to adhere to the version that Novaya published back in March. Our interlocutor suggests that the full-time commander of the Tu-154 crew, Major Roman Volkov, acted as a co-pilot during takeoff, although he was in his seat, and the pilot who took off was not only not trained and not authorized to fly this type of aircraft, but also not included in the flight mission, senior in rank and position. Yes, he had extensive flying experience, but on other types of aircraft, for example on the An-72. On board the crashed plane there was indeed a senior instructor-pilot of military unit 42829, a lieutenant colonel. And he flew precisely on the An-72.

The “document”, positioned as the report of Lieutenant General Sergei Baynetov, is very similar to the real one, but our experts do not rule out that it is a fake, made “on the basis” of the real document.

On the morning of December 25, 2016, a Tu-154B2 aircraft of the 23rd flight detachment of the Russian Ministry of Defense crashed near Sochi. The plane was heading to the Syrian province of Latakia, with 92 people on board - musicians of the Alexandrov Ensemble, nine press representatives, six accompanying persons and eight crew members.

At about 5:40 am Moscow time, the Ministry of Defense Tu-154 plane disappeared from the radar after taking off from Sochi. TASS sources were the first to report this. emergency services region around 8 a.m. Later, the defense department officially confirmed this information and clarified that, according to initial data, there were 91 people on the bot.

At the same time, it became known that most of the passengers were musicians of the Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after Alexandrov. A little later it was clarified that there were 83 passengers and nine crew members on board. A few minutes later, information appeared that there were also representatives of the Russian press on the plane.

The President was informed that the plane had disappeared. A search and rescue operation began urgently. The search was conducted according to RIA Novosti, in the probable places where the plane crashed - the mountainous part Krasnodar region. Also Sseven sea ​​vessels joined the search in the water area.

At about 9 o'clock the source confirmed the most dire forecasts.

“According to preliminary data, he fell into the Black Sea,” law enforcement agencies said.

"5.5 kilometers from coastline An oil stain was found. 1.5 kilometers from the coast - a fragment of the liner - landing gear. Passengers’ personal belongings were found in the Black Sea,” the press service of the Southern Regional Center of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations later clarified.

Official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov said that a commission headed by Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Popov flew to Adler. At the same time, the Investigative Committee of Russia reported that pre-flight documentation would be confiscated. Officials involved in preparing the plane for departure to the Khmeimim airbase in Syria will be questioned.

“The investigation into the criminal case of the plane crash will be conducted by investigators from the central office of the Investigative Committee of Russia,” official representative of the department Svetlana Petrenko told Lenta.ru.

The Ministry of Defense has published a list of people on board the Tu-154. According to the department, on the plane were eight crew members, director of the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Defense Anton Gubankov and his press secretary Oksana Batrutdinova, eight military personnel (including the chief military conductor of the Russian Army Valery Khalilov), director of the international public organization “Fair Aid” Elizaveta Glinka . Nine journalists and six musicians from a military ensemble also flew to Syria on this flight.

The official website of the Zvezda TV channel reports that their film crew - correspondent Pavel Obukhov, cameraman Alexander Suranov and assistant cameraman Valery Rzhevsky - died in the plane crash. Channel One also announced the names of the journalists who were on board the Tu-154: correspondent Dmitry Runkov, cameraman Vadim Denisov and sound engineer Alexander Soydov. According to the official website of the NTV television company, correspondent Mikhail Luzhetsky, cameraman Oleg Pestov and sound engineer Evgeniy Tolstov were sent on a business trip to Syria.

The crash occurred on the Tu-154B2 aircraft, tail number RA-85572, produced in 1983 at the Kuibyshev Aviation Plant (now the Aviakor plant).

According to available accounting data, the aircraft has exhausted a relatively small part of its flight life (less than 10 thousand hours), flying on average about 300 hours per year, which is relatively little for passenger airliners, which in civil aviation are operated with an intensity of 1000 or more hours per year. The assigned service life of the aircraft was 37,500 hours or 16 thousand landings, and it could be extended to 60 thousand hours and 22 thousand landings.

“The plane passed all scheduled checks before takeoff and was in good working order. There were no complaints about the technical condition of the aircraft before takeoff,” a source in the emergency services told Interfax.

Aircraft operator - 223rd flying squad Ministry of Defense, Russian state aviation enterprise, provides air transportation in the interests of government agencies, and also carries out irregular cargo and Passenger Transportation- as a rule, transporting personnel of the Armed Forces. The enterprise was organized on the basis of the 8th special purpose aviation division (8 adOSNAZ, 8 adon) of the Russian Air Force in Chkalovsky in accordance with the order of the President Russian Federation dated January 15, 1993 No. 37-rp “On ensuring the activities of 223 and 224 flight detachments of the Russian Ministry of Defense” for air transport in the interests of government agencies. The 223rd Flight Detachment operates passenger vehicles, while the 224th Flight Detachment handles transportation on military transport aircraft.

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

The plane took off from the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow and was supposed to land for refueling in Mozdok, but weather conditions The refueling airfield was changed to Sochi.

Adler airport is notorious among pilots. In 2006, a tragedy occurred with an Airbus A320-211 of Armavia airlines, flying on the route Yerevan - Sochi. While landing at Sochi airport, the plane crashed into the Black Sea and was completely destroyed. All 105 passengers and 8 crew members on board were killed. Among the victims is Arthur Tumasyan, KVN player, screenwriter, one of the authors of the popular Comedy Club show.

In October 1972, an Aeroflot Il-18B crashed near Adler, killing 109 people. The true cause of the disaster turned out to be impossible, since the wreckage of the liner sank at a depth of about 1000 meters.

After a series of flight accidents at Adler airport, landing from the mountains was prohibited. Air gate We accept liners exclusively from the one hundred sides of the sea. Experts note that pilots had difficulties mainly with landing planes, and not during takeoff.

At 5.27 Moscow time after takeoff from the Sochi airfield, located in the city district of Adler. The plane was performing a scheduled flight on the route Moscow - Khmeimim (Latakia, Syrian Arab Republic).

Artists of the Academic Twice Red Banner Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army named after A.V. Alexandrova in front Russian soldiers and officers. Among the dead were the artistic director of the group, People's Artist of Russia, Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov, deputy head of the ensemble Andrei Sonnikov, chief choirmaster Konstantin Mayorov, and five soloists. In total, the ensemble lost almost half of its creative staff.

The plane, flying from the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow to the Syrian Khmeimim airfield, was supposed to refuel in Mozdok. However, due to bad weather, the Tu-154 was sent to Sochi. Upon arrival at Adler airport, the plane was taken under guard by employees Border Service FSB of Russia and military personnel of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

An employee of the coast guard of the FSB border troops, who witnessed the crash of the Tu-154, said that before the disaster he had “an unnaturally raised nose.” The border guard was on a boat in the Black Sea. According to him, the plane, instead of gaining altitude, began to quickly descend towards the surface of the sea, as if about to land, and the next moment it touched the surface of the water with its tail, which fell off upon impact.

The maximum altitude to which the plane rose was about 250 meters, and the speed was within 360-370 kilometers per hour.

To eliminate the consequences of the aviation accident, the work of operational headquarters and operational groups of the Southern Regional Center and the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Krasnodar Territory was organized. In cooperation with the relevant structures of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Rosaviatsiya, Rosmorrechflot, the Border Directorate of the FSB of Russia, the Russian Ministry of Health, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Investigative Committee of Russia and government authorities of the Krasnodar Territory, search and rescue operations were organized. They were carried out by a force totaling about 3.6 thousand people, using more than 500 pieces of equipment, 45 watercraft, 15 aircraft, 16 helicopters and 20 unmanned aerial vehicles. Search work was carried out using modern underwater robotic systems. Psychological support and medical assistance were provided to the families of the victims.

December 26, 2016 was declared a day of mourning in the Russian Federation in connection with the plane crash of a Tu-154 plane near Sochi.

In the area of ​​the search operation at a distance of 1700 meters from the coastline along the axis of the aircraft takeoff by divers on the bottom of the Black Sea. By acoustic means in this place the radius of their dispersion was determined, which was about 500 meters.

The main phase of the search and rescue operation at the crash site. Rescuers brought to the surface all the main fragments of the crashed plane.

Full search work in the Black Sea at the Tu-154 crash site.

More than half of the victims of the Tu-154 plane crash over the Black Sea in the Moscow region. After the funeral was completed, a memorial stone was placed at the burial sites of the victims.

On the fact of the Tu-154 crash, the military investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Sochi garrison on the grounds of a crime under Article 351 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violation of flight rules resulting in grave consequences). Head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin. On his instructions, a criminal case was opened for further investigation.

Issues related to establishing the causes of the disaster. In addition to the military, it includes representatives of the Ministry of Transport, the Interstate Aviation Committee, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Tupolev aviation concern.

Specialists and the laboratory and research base of the scientific and technical center of the Interstate Aviation Committee are also involved in the investigation of the disaster.

At the beginning of the investigation into the accident, the commission accepted more than 15 versions of the incident. The FSB called the main versions: foreign objects getting into the engine, low-quality fuel, pilot error and technical malfunction. Signs and facts indicating the possibility of committing terrorist attack or sabotage on board an airship, . Flight recorders raised from the water made it possible to reduce the number of versions of what happened by half.

Based on the results of the investigation, it was established that the cause of the incident could have been a violation of the spatial orientation (situational awareness) of the aircraft commander, which led to his erroneous actions with the aircraft controls.