Tu-154 crash: Causes of the tragedy established and then quickly refuted

Having analyzed the content of the flight recorders of the Tu-154 passenger aircraft of the Russian Defense Ministry that crashed in the Black Sea soon after takeoff on December 25, 2016, experts unveiled the cause of the crash. 


According to experts of the Defense Ministry, the Tu-154 crashed because the plane was overloaded. In addition, co-pilot Alexander Rovensky misused the levers of chassis and flaps control. When the crew noticed the mistake, it was too late: the heavy Tu-154 simply had not gained enough altitude for a rescue maneuver and hit the water with the tail section of the fuselage.

According to a source close to the investigation, the human factor was recognized as a priority version of the Tu-154 crash.


"The data obtained from the flight recorders of the aircraft suggest that during the third minute of the flight, when the airliner was at an altitude of 450 meters above the sea level, stability system sensors went on, and the aircraft started losing altitude because of problems with flaps," the source told Life.

Experts believe that the tragedy started developing after the co-pilot, 33-year-old captain Alexander Rovensky, retracted the flaps instead of the chassis. The move put the aircraft beyond the aerodynamic angle of attack. The crew tried to turn the aircraft back to the ground, but did not have enough time to do so.

It was also established that the Tu-154 was overloaded. The luggage compartment was filled to the limit. As a result, the cargo pulled the tail section of the aircraft down. The tail part of the fuselage hit the water first. The right wing hit the water surface next, and the plane fell apart.

Also read: Tu-154 crashed as a result of NATO's covert operation?

Noteworthy, the Russian Federal Security Service found an eyewitness to the tragedy, who said that the crew was supposedly trying to land the aircraft on water.  The witness pointed out the unusual position of the aircraft in the air that was strange even for landing. The aircraft was flying with its nose up, like a motorcycle racing on the rear wheel only. In an instant, the eyewitness said, the aircraft hit the water with the tail section that separated as a result of the impact. The next moment, the plane fell into the water and sank quickly.

Representatives of the Defense Ministry soon denied the information about the completion of the investigation into the crash of the Tu-154. According to an official representative of the department, the version, exposed by Life publication, was "absolute nonsense," RBC reports.

According to official representative of the department, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, all the rumors about the supposedly established causes of the crash of the Tu-154 in Sochi were nonsense. "The commission continues working to establish the causes. We believe that it is immoral and unacceptable to blame something and invent conclusions before the investigation is completed," said Konashenkov.

Pravda.Ru

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Author`s name Dmitry Sudakov
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