Sibir Airline Rules Out Technical Accident As Cause For Tu-154 Crash

Management of the Sibir airline rules out a technical accident as the reason for the crash of its Tu-154 airliner, reports the RIA Novosti correspondent. Sibir deputy general director Natalia Fileva said that the most probable reason is terrorism. The Tu-154 plane, which has crashed, "was one of the company's best and had passed tough technical checks", said the airline's spokesman. "An experienced crew was flying it", she added. Fileva confirmed that aboard the Tu-154 was found Victor Alexeev, Sibir deputy general director for flight safety. She also said that the list of passengers of the crashed airliner is being ascertained. Fileva flatly rejected certain media reports that the crashed Tu-154 had made a stopover in Bulgaria. "It was a non-stop flight and by the moment of crash the plane had been airborne for 1.5 hours", she said.