Famed choir among 92 killed as Russian jet crashes in sea
A MILITARY plane carrying Russia’s Red Army Choir crashed into the sea yesterday killing all 92 on board.
The TU-154 Tupolev vanished from radar screens two minutes after taking off from a refuelling stop in Sochi, southern Russia.
It was taking 64 members of the choir, the Alexandrov Ensemble, to perform a New Year show for Russian troops in Syria.
The 33-year-old plane plummeted into the Black Sea after taking off in good weather and heading for Russia’s Hmeimim air base near Latakia, Syria.
The base is the launchpad of Russian air raids against forces trying to topple Syria’s president Bashar Assad.
A source ruled out terrorism, with another saying the likeliest cause of the crash was a technical or pilot error.
Disappeared
An audio recording on Russian media, said to be the final conversation between air traffic controllers and the plane, apparently revealed no difficulties.
The crew’s voices were calm right up to the moment the plane disappeared. No SOS signal was sent. The plane had been carrying 84 passengers and eight crew.
Russian Defence ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said: “Fragments of the TU-154 plane of the Russian defence ministry were found 1.5km (one mile) from the Black Sea coast of the city of Sochi at a depth of 50 to 70m (165-230ft).
“The area of the crash site has been established. No survivors have been spotted.” The search operation is continuing. Four The choir were on a Tupolev 154 jet, similar to the one above. Vladimir Putin, left, declared a day of mourning ships, four helicopters a plane and a drone were conducting the search. Another six ships and a mini-submarine from Russia’s Black Sea fleet are on their way and will be joined by more than 100 divers.
President Putin declared today will be a national day of mourning
The Alexandrov Ensemble is a prestigious choir founded in 1928 by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov who wrote the music to the Soviet Union’s national anthem. Its cast includes an orchestra and dancers.
The dead included the Ensemble’s current director, Valery Khalilov, the inaugural winner of Russia’s state prize for achievements in human rights, Elizaveta Glinka, nine journalists, eight soldiers and two civil servants. The TU-154 is the workhorse of the Russian Air Force and has flown regular trips to Syria with fighter escorts.
It is being phased out with only 50 left in service worldwide.
TU-154s have been involved in 39 fatal accidents including a crash near Smolensk, western Russia, which killed 96 in 2010 including Polish President Lech Kaczynski.