What happened on board Tu-154?

There were no traces of fire or explosion found on either the bodies or fragments of the crashed Tu-154 aircraft, chief of the Armed Forces Aviation Security Service of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Sergei Bainetov said. The representative of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation has thus confirmed that the version of the terrorist attack was excluded.

At the same time, he added that a terrorist act in the form of a mechanical impact on board the aircraft could be possible.

"In addition to the explosion on board, a mechanical impact could be possible. A terrorist act could not be just an explosion," the official added.

The general added that even though the main phase of the search operation on the site of the Tu-154 crash has finished, the works in the Black Sea continue.

Specialists have already started analysing the recovered wreckage of the aircraft. It was particularly said that there were 12 large and 1,547 small pieces of the airplane lifted from the bottom of the sea.

The investigative commission expects to find out the cause of the tragedy "within a month", the Defence Ministry spokesman said.

According to him, it will take specialists not less than ten days to analyse all parameters of the performance of the engine, aircraft systems and the entire flight.

The second "black box" of the crashed Tu-154 has been delivered to Moscow.

Meanwhile, the last phrase of the commander of the crashed Tu-154 indicates the development of a state of emergency on board the aircraft, Interfax reports with reference to Sergei Bainetov.

"All was normal, but the commander's phrase, only one phrase, indicates the beginning of a state of emergency on board. It does not tell us anything more than that," the official told reporters in Moscow.

He added that the radio contact was extremely brief. "Can you imagine that the state of emergency was developing for ten seconds? What can one say in ten seconds?" Bainetov said.

On December 27^th, it was reported that experts deciphered the audio recording of one of the black boxes of the crashed Tu-154. One of the pilots interrupted the conversation of the crew by exclaiming: "The flaps, damn it!" Then the following was said: "Commander, we are falling down!"

Pravda.Ru

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