Armenian Jet crashes in Black Sea w/ 100 aboard

[Gavur]

Well, no matter how intensly we like to grab each other's throats, Turks and Armenians seem to share two common things: Plenty of accidents and natural disasters.

Having worked in the aviation sector until 2003, I know pretty well that several Russian airports do not meet FAA or EAA requirements, but I know too little about this recent accident to blame xxxxy air control equipments.

Another thing to notice is that most civil airline pilots (with the possible exception of Germany) happen to be former air force pilots, so they do not want to complain about air traffic control of civil airports, fearing that it would hurt their reputation as tough pilots. After all, they have been trained to land almost anywhere under any weather condition.

Regardless of the reasons and causes, air crashes have a devastating effect on both the survivors and the relatives of the victims. I recently read that the survivors of January 2003 Turkish Airlines crash are still undergoing psychological treatment.

Finally, and most importantly, may God have mercy upon the souls of the perished.

Thank you V.G.
Our condolances to their loved ones

[Gavur]

Update: 2006-05-03 13:03

ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER GOES TO SOCHI TO INVESTIGATE INTO CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE A-320 CRASH

Yerevan, May 3. ArmInfo. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan held an extraordinary meeting in connection with the crash of Armavia's A-320 plane in Sochi.


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Attending the meeting were Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, Defence Minister Serzh Sargsyan, Territorial Administration Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, Prosecutor General Agvan Hovsepyan, Chief of Police Hayk Haroutyunyan, Chief of National Security Service Gorik Hakopyan, Head of Chief Department of Civil Aviation Artem Movsissyan.


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The presidential press service says that Movsissyan reported to the president on the crash. Kocharyan instructed Defence Minister, Co-Chair of Armenian-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission Serzh Sargsyan to go to Sochi to inquire into the circumstances of the tragedy. A special commission led by Territorial Administration Minister Hovik Abrahamyan will bring the bodies of the victims to Armenia and will organize their funerals.


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Prosecutor General Agvan Hovsepyan said that his office has instituted a criminal action. Earlier the prosecutor's office of Krasnodar region (Russia) instituted criminal proceedings according to article 263 of Russia's Criminal Code (violation of the rules of security during aircraft operation causing the death of two and more people).


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To remind, Armavia's A-320 plane flying from Yerevan to Sochi crashed near Sochi 02:15 AM. 113 people (6 children) were onboard. 26 of them were Russian citizens, 1 woman was from Ukraine, the rest were Armenian citizens.


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Armavia has opened a hot-line in Yerevan: (+37410) 28-63-56.


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To remind, June 2005 100% of Armavia's shares were bought by President of Mika Armenia Trading Mikhail Bagdassarov. In 2005 Armavia's passenger turnover was 507,000 people against 380,000 in 2004. In 2004 the crashed A-320 was leased from Vermille International Services B.V.

[Hovik]

Russia Officials Investigate Plane Crash

Russia Officials Investigate Plane Crash
By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer
15 minutes ago



Boats laden with bodies and twisted metal sailed into the palm-fringed harbor of this popular Russian resort Wednesday, carrying the remains of some of the 113 people who died when an Armenian airliner smashed into the Black Sea.

The plane went down about 2:15 a.m. in heavy rain and poor visibility as it was approaching the airport in Adler, about 12 miles south of this city wedged between the sea and soaring snowcapped mountains. Most of the dead were Armenians.

"I've lost my sweetheart, my son!" Anait Bagusian, 50, wailed at Zvartnots Airport in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, from which the flight originated. Doctors hovered nearby because she swooned several times.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the crash as divers attempted to retrieve the Airbus A-320's recorders from the deep, wave-chopped site about 3 1/2 miles offshore.

A spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General's office, Nataliya Vishnyakova, dismissed the possibility of terrorism. Other officials pointed to the rough weather or pilot error as the likely cause. It is difficult even under normal conditions to land at the airport, which can be approached only from the sea.

Boats battled stiff winds and heavy seas to try to recover bodies and fragments of the plane, which was leased by Armavia, Armenia's largest airline. By late afternoon, 46 bodies had been brought into the port and taken to morgues for identification.

Outside one morgue, about 100 people stood grimly, rushing forward every time a truck carrying remains pulled up to the gates. "People want to know anything just now, anything," said 38-year-old Aryag Ghagosian, who said a friend's brother was on the flight

"The women are all home crying. The men are all standing here waiting. What else can we do?" said a 47-year-old man who gave his name only as Misha, reflecting the wide distrust of authorities within Sochi's large Armenian community.

He said his brother, sister-in-law and nephew had been aboard the plane, but he didn't know if their bodies were recovered. "They say they're identifying the bodies, but we're not learning anything," he complained.

At Zvartnots Airport in Armenia, other relatives were in agony.

Samvel Oganesian said his 23-year-old son, Vram, and his friend Hamlet Abgarian had been heading to Sochi for vacation.

"Why did he go?" Oganesian asked in anguish, over and over again.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian President Robert Kocharian declared Friday a day of mourning in both countries.

The airline said 26 Russians, one Ukrainian and one Georgian were among the passengers, while the rest were Armenian citizens. But Interfax cited Armenian civil aviation spokesman Gayane Davtian as saying no Georgians or Ukrainians were aboard. The passengers included the airline's deputy general director, Vyacheslav Yaralov, the airline said.

The plane broke up on impact, and passengers' personal belongings and plane fragments were found scattered over an area spreading a mile from the crash site.

There were conflicting statements about the events leading to the crash.

Emergency ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov said the plane disappeared from radar screens while trying to make a repeat attempt at an emergency landing. However, Interfax quoted the Russian air control agency as saying the plane's crew had not declared any emergency.

Armavia deputy commercial deputy Andrei Agadzhanov said in Yerevan that the crew had communicated with ground controllers while the plane was flying over the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The ground controllers said the weather in Adler was poor but the plane could still land, Agadzhanov said. Just before the landing, however, the ground controllers told the crew to circle in the air again before approaching the airport and then it crashed.

Agadzhanov said the crew was highly experienced, the airplane was in good condition and that weather conditions were "certainly" the cause. The plane was manufactured in 1995 and underwent full-scale servicing a year ago, he said. A statement from Airbus said the plane had logged more than 28,200 flight hours.

Airlines in former Soviet countries wracked up a grisly record of crashes in the 1990s, following the whittling off of much of Soviet monopoly carrier Aeroflot into hundreds of regional airlines plagued by scant money, aging equipment and cavalier disregard for safety. They often flew badly overloaded. In an infamous 1994 case, 75 people were killed in a crash reportedly caused by the pilot's allowing his teenage son to take the controls.

In recent years, crashes from equipment failure or pilot error have declined sharply.

___

AP reporters Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, and Sergei Venyavsky in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, contributed to this story.

[Gavur]

It Is Impossible To Find The Black Box

Lragir.am
03 May 06

It is practically impossible to find the black box of the A-320 plane
of Armavia Airlines, state the experts, working in the place of the
crash. A-320, flying from Yerevan to Sochi, crashed on May 3 in the
morning, near the city of Adler, 5 km from the coast of the Black
Sea. The experts say the plane fell in a place where the bottom makes
it impossible to find anything. Rudolf Teymurazov, the head of the
center of air transport investigation, Interstate Aviation Committee,
stated this. "I do not believe that it is possible to find anything
on the bottom at one km from the coast," said Teymurazov. The work of
the rescuers is made much difficult by the bad weather, as well as the
depth. The depth of the sea in the place of the crash is 300-400 m,
whereas the divers cannot go deeper than 200 m. However, the Russian
Ministry of Emergencies says if necessity occurs, robots will be
used, which can work at such a depth. Rescuing is carried out within
a range of 2.5 km with the depth of the sea 500-2500 m. By half past
two on May 3 the rescuers had found 46 bodies.

[Gavur]

The List Of Names Of The Passengers Of The Crashed Plane Publicized

ArmRadio.am
03.05.2006 14:20

The list of names of the passengers of the "A-320" of the Armenian
"Armavia" Company has been publicized.

According t preliminary information, 77 of the passengers were citizens
of Armenia, 26 were Russian citizens, there was one citizen of Ukraine
and a Georgian citizen:

1. Azatyan Albert
2. Kostanyan Atom
3. Manutoeva Elvina
4. Khachatryan Beniamin
5. Petrosyan Aram
6. Srtlyan Ella
7. Grigoryan Marine
8. Badalyan Lusine
9. Badalyan Armen
10. Gevorgyan Ruben
11. Dubrovin Alexey
12. Menagarova Lyusya
13. Gasparyan Sergey
14. Harutyunyan Gyulnara
15. Panoyan Elen
16. Gdikyan Grigor
17. Knyazyan Grigor
18. Harutyunyan Husik
19. Mkrtchyan Levon
20. Sahakyan Lavrenti
21. Arshakyan Varazdat
22. Hovakimyan Hovik
23. Tsatinyan Gevorg
24. Torosyan Julieta
25. Sackulyan Anatoli
26. Chinoyan Aida
27. Gyurekyan Mariam
28. Hakobyan Seyran
29. Mangasaryan Ararat
30. Nalbandyan Silva
31. Badoyan Manuk
32. Badoyan Khachatur
33. Kyureghyan Vagharsh
34. Mamikonyan Sanasar
35. Baghdasaryan Albert
36. Khachatryan Anahit
37. Mirzoyan Sasha
38. Mirzoyan Elichka
39. Manvelyan Askanas
40. Khachatryan Marina
41. Vahanyan Marina
42. Tanakalyan Lyusya
43. Manukyan Aharon
44. Tadevosyan Silvard
45. Malyan Gagik
46. Piliposyan Mesrop
47. Hakobyan Hayk
48. Martirosyan Aram
49. Harutyunyan Artak
50. Harutyunyan Spartak
51. Hamayakayan Stepan
52. Malkhasyan Karapet
53. Karapetyan Vahan
54. Yebzimyan Nazar
55. Poghosyan Ruzanna
56. Yebzimyan Harutyun
57. Kyulyan Marat
58. Samsonyan Emma
59. Paruryan Mayis
60. Mkrtchyan Margar
61. Petrosyan Ghumar
62. Mkrtchyan Flora
63. Martirosyan Manuk
64. Avetisyan Albert
65. Khalatyan Hamest
66. Avagyan Khachatur
67. Vardanyan Vardan
68. Yaralov Vyacheslav
69. Khalajyan Susanna
70. Kondakchyan Albert
71. Makhurov Karen
72. Antonyan Hayrapet
73. Karapetyan Varsenik
74. Karapetyan Albert
75. Avetisyan Meline
76. Avetisyan Grisha
77. Khachatryan Karo
78. Kochinyan Artyom
79. Galstyan Avik
80. Ghazaryan Mariam
81. Margaryan Arpine
82. Meliksetyan Ashot
83. Ghalechyan Arshak
84. Tumasyan Arthur
85. Hakobyan Zara
86. Hambardzumyan Hm. (?)
87. Balasanyan Rudik
88. Hakobyan Aram
89. Yerangulyan Vladimir
90. Mkrtumyan Manyak
91. Arakelyan Karine
92. Mkrtchyan Margarit
93. Sargsyan Gevorg
94. Mkrtchyan Arthur
95. Sevanyan Zemfira
96. Malkhasyan Margarit
97. Geranyan Abraham
98. Zargaryan Zhora
99. Abgaryan Hamlet
100. Hovhannisyan Vram
101. Danielyan Lusine
102. Galstyan Hripsime
103. Kirakosyan Armenuhi
104. Injigulyan Eduard
105. Yeghiazaryan Marine

Skipper: Grigoryan Grisha
Second Pilot: Davtyan Arman
Technical Staff: Khachatryan Nikolay
Stewardesses: Asatryan Marina, Gevorgyan Lusine, Abelyan Anaida

[Hovik]

Lragir.am
03 May 06

It is practically impossible to find the black box of the A-320 plane
of Armavia Airlines, state the experts, working in the place of the
crash. A-320, flying from Yerevan to Sochi, crashed on May 3 in the
morning, near the city of Adler, 5 km from the coast of the Black
Sea. The experts say the plane fell in a place where the bottom makes
it impossible to find anything. Rudolf Teymurazov, the head of the
center of air transport investigation, Interstate Aviation Committee,
stated this. "I do not believe that it is possible to find anything
on the bottom at one km from the coast," said Teymurazov. The work of
the rescuers is made much difficult by the bad weather, as well as the
depth. The depth of the sea in the place of the crash is 300-400 m,
whereas the divers cannot go deeper than 200 m. However, the Russian
Ministry of Emergencies says if necessity occurs, robots will be
used, which can work at such a depth. Rescuing is carried out within
a range of 2.5 km with the depth of the sea 500-2500 m. By half past
two on May 3 the rescuers had found 46 bodies.

I think it's suspicious that they're ruling out finding the box because of the depth, when in the same breath they're saying that robots can be used at that depth...

Russians refused their requests for an emergency landing, maybe there is more to the story that they don't want to be discovered

What a tragedy... God rest their souls, and give peace to the souls of their families...

[Gavur]

Turkmen President Sent Condolence Letter to Armenian Leader

04.05.2006 19:10 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov has sent condolence letter to Armenian leader Robert Kocharian owing to the air crash of A-320 liner of Armavia air company over the Black Sea past night, reports the Press Service of the Turkmen Embassy in Armenia.

«I present my deep condolence with you on the tragic catastrophe of A-320 liner over the Black Sea, which entailed numerous human victims. I wish you strong spirit and courage, asking to convey my words of frank sympathy to all relatives and friends of the victims,» says the message of the Turkmen leader.

[Gavur]

Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia Association Condoled on Air Crash

Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia Association Condoled on Air Crash
04.05.2006 19:01 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Association of Friendship and Cooperation with Armenia (Russia) has sent condolences over the air crash in Sochi to Russian and Armenian Presidents. The message, signed by Association President Victor Krivopuskov, that was received by PanARMENIAN.Net, says, «Dear Mr. Putin and Mr. Kocharian. Along with you we are shocked with the news on tragic death of passengers of Yerevan-Sochi flight – citizens of our fraternal countries. We frankly sympathize and condole with relatives and friends and we mourn with you.»

[Gavur]

George Bush Condoled on A-320 Crash

04.05.2006 18:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Administration of US President George Bush condoled with relatives of the victims of the crash of A-320 airplane. «We express our frank condolence with peoples of Armenia and Russia, as well as the families of those, who died in the crash of Armavia air company flight from Yerevan to the south of Russia,» the White House statement says.

[Gavur]

Remains of Armenian plane crash victims to be taken to Yerevan

11:23 | 04/ 05/ 2006



SOCHI, May 4 (RIA Novosti) - The remains of the victims of a fatal plane crash over the Black Sea will be flown Thursday to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, Russia's transportation minister said.

"We plan to take the remains of the dead to their homeland, Yerevan, around 3 p.m. Moscow time [11 a.m. GMT] by a plane provided by the Emergency Situations Ministry," Igor Levitin said.

He added that 20 out of at least 48 recovered bodies had been already identified.

An Airbus A-320 belonging to Armenia's Armavia Airlines flying from the country's capital, Yerevan, crashed about six kilometers from the Russian coast en route to an airport in Adler, which services the resort of Sochi. Eight crewmembers and 105 passengers were on board.