Three Independent Testimonies Provided On Tu-154 Crash

There exist three independent testimonies concerning the October 4 crash of a Russian Tu-154 jetliner in the Black Sea, near the resort city of Sochi, Yevgeny Shaposhnikov, a presidential aide on the state commission investigating the crash causes, said to the press. He stressed that at the moment three independent testimonies are under consideration: from an Armenian airplane's crew who eye-witnessed the crash, from the commander of a Chelyabinsk Airlines Yak-42 plane, and from the crew of the Captain Vakula ship. All the three groups of witnesses were close to the site at the time of the crash, and they watched the airplane falling down. The information provided by these people, said Mr. Shaposhnikov, agrees with the results of an analysis of the air control system records. Reporters have been shown a hangar in the Sochi airport where pieces of debris and fragments of the passengers' personal effects that are found at the crash site are collected for storage. All the objects already gathered show clear signs of fire. Most of the available plane parts are small in size, which testifies to the power of the explosion. However, there is one of the undercarriage wheels which looks practically intact.