With 10 years passed since crash of Yerevan-Sochi plane some questions remain unanswered

10 years ago, on May 3, 2006, Armavia’s A-320 fell into the Black Sea while flying from Yerevan to Sochi.

All 105 passengers and the crew were killed in the accident. Among those killed were 77 Armenians, 26 Russians, 1 Ukrainian and 1 Georgian. Over 500 specialists and 40 ships were involved in the search.

According to the State Civil Aviation Department of Armenia, the plane was in an excellent technical condition and had carried out 14,376 flights by that time. The crew was very experienced.

The Interstate Aviation Committee’s conclusion was that the crash was caused by bad weather and human factor but many experts were skeptical. Later some mass media reported the presence of some criminals and a skirmish on the board but the Interstate Aviation Committee rejected that lead.

A-320s are very safe and are fully automated. The Sochi accident was the first crash of such a plane in Russia.