“I know that I will never return”: in memory of the victims of the plane crash over Sinai. A321 crash: versions of the causes of the plane crash over the Sinai Peninsula A321 crash

The investigation into the causes of the catastrophe that occurred on October 31 in the sky over Sinai Peninsula with the Russian A321 aircraft of the Kogalymavia company (Metrojet brand). The investigation is being led by the Egyptian authorities, assisted by Russian experts, and a number of international experts have also been invited to participate. DW has collected the most important findings and information available to help build a picture of what happened.

The hull fell apart in the air

The most important takeaway on this moment made by experts of the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) and investigators on the spot - the liner, flying on a charter flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg on Saturday, fell apart in the air. This is evidenced primarily by the nature of the scattered wreckage of the car. They, as clearly demonstrated by television footage, occupy a significant area - according to various estimates, from up to 20 to 32 square kilometers. The tail section is located at a distance of almost 8 kilometers from the main body of the aircraft.

Another circumstantial evidence was data from the Flightradar website, which records the movements of aircraft. According to him, the A321 gained an altitude of about 10 kilometers and a speed of about 750 km / h in about 21 minutes after takeoff. But after a minute, the liner dropped sharply to 8650 meters, while losing speed no less sharply - to 172 km / h. Such a loss of speed is likely if the aircraft has lost one of its parts.

Pilot error is unlikely

Pilot error can be practically ruled out as a cause of the crash, a Kogalymavia spokesman said. In particular, the German expert and journalist Horst Kläuser agrees with the company's conclusion. When the aircraft is at cruising speed and has already gained altitude, the automatic control systems are activated. This is statistically the safest moment in flight. The weather was good for flying, according to Russian meteorologists. The Kogalymavia spokesman denied the initial reports that the crew had reported malfunctions of the vehicle.

Liner with backstory

The plane that crashed over Sinai once suffered significant damage. It was 14 years ago, in 2001, when the airliner, then owned by the Lebanese company MEA, touched the ground with its tail while landing at Cairo airport. This is called the tailstrike or fifth touch. Could this incident have caused the tail end of the aircraft to come off and cause a crash due to material fatigue? The airline claims that the plane has undergone a major overhaul, and the 2001 incident did not affect the safety of the flight.

Still in history civil aviation There are two tragic cases when inadequate repair of aircraft after "touching the fifth", according to experts, led to tragic consequences. This was in 1985 (Japan Airlines flight JAL 123 crashed in Japan, killing 520) and 2002 (China Airlines flight CI 611, 225 fatalities).

Age is not a hindrance

The crashed A321 was in service for 18 years. However, this age does not mean that the plane was less safe than others. Old doesn't mean unreliable, according to most civil aviation experts. During the operation of the liners, they regularly change individual spare parts that have exhausted their resource. "If the aircraft has been well repaired, age does not matter," says Klaus Wolf, a professor at the Technical University in Dresden.

Context

The Kogalymavia company claims that the liner passed all the necessary checks and had all the necessary safety certificates. The aircraft's advanced age has only one drawback, but of a different nature: the higher the age, the more expensive the repairs.

Two main versions

Until the deciphering of the "black boxes" and the reconstruction of the wreckage of the crashed car, any conclusions about the possible causes of the tragedy will be only preliminary, the investigators never tire of stressing. It is too early to rule out any versions, the IAC insists. The main versions of the cause of the disaster remain two - a technical defect, on which, for example, they insist Egyptian authorities, or a terrorist attack.

Judging by the statements made, the representatives of "Kogalymavia" are hinting at him, noting that "the only reasonable cause of the crash could be an external influence." The Federal Air Transport Agency considers such conclusions to be premature. The Russian authorities clearly do not consider the version of the terrorist act to be the most probable. However, it is still difficult to completely eliminate it.

Northern part The Sinai Peninsula, over which the Russian A321 flew, is known for the fact that terrorist groups of radical Islamists are active on it, having declared their transition to the side of the "Islamic State" (IS). ISIS militants claimed responsibility for the crash, leaving a note on Twitter.

It is believed, however, that they do not have the technical means to shoot down objects at the height that the Russian airliner scored. However, until now, IS has not been seen taking responsibility for the uncommitted attacks. A bomb planted in an aircraft could also have caused the A-321 disaster. However, so far, investigators have not found evidence of the use of an explosive device, according to media reports.

The A321 plane crash over Sinai, which happened on 10/31/2015, was the largest disaster in Egypt and the largest tragedy in plane crashes. The Airbus A321-231, owned by the Kogalymavia company, was used by the Brisco tour operator and carried tourists on flight 9268 Sharm-al-Sheikh-St. Petersburg. The victims of the crash were 224 people

Flight details

Airplane

Airbus A321-231 was produced in 1997. Then the ship was handed over to the owner, the leasing corporation ILFC, which leased it to MEA (Lebanon). The airliner was assigned the number F-0HMP, its capacity was 149 people. It was used in Lebanon for 6 years and was returned to the ILFC in 2003.

Fact. During use in MEA, there was one breakdown - when landing in Egypt, the pilots raised the nose of the liner too high, and the tail section touched the runway. After that, the aircraft was repaired.

In 2003, the aircraft was again leased to the corporation. Onur air(Turkey). The ship's board was modernized, its capacity increased to 220 people. In 2007, the airliner was sub-leased to Saudi Arabian Airlines ( Saudi Arabia), and in 2010 - Cham Wings (Syria). In 2012, the airliner was leased to Kogalymavia LLC.

According to the information of the leasing company, the aircraft was serviced at the appropriate level, technical control and inspections were carried out on time. On 10/26/2015 a weekly inspection was carried out, on 03/18/2014 the aircraft passed the factory inspection. For all the years of use, the liner has developed 46-48% of its nominal service life of regular flights.

Crew and passengers

A Russian crew worked on the ship, including:

• 2 experienced pilots,
• 5 flight attendants.

Among the passengers who were on board the plane at the time of the crash, there were 192 people. adults and 25 children. The oldest of them was 77 years old, the youngest girl was 10 months old. In the crash, all people died. Photos of the victims were posted on several official websites.

List of passengers killed over Sinai

Most of the victims of the disaster lived in the northwestern regions of the Russian Federation; there were also 4 citizens of Ukraine and 2 from Belarus on the plane.

The list of those killed in the plane crash included:

• A. Kopylov - deputy head of the administration of the city of Pskov,
• D. Gromov (10 months), whose photo became a symbol of the plane crash.

Chronology of events

Preceding Circumstances

On October 30, 2015, Airbus A321-231 made 2 normal flights on the planned routes: Sharm al-Sheikh-Samara-Sharm al-Sheikh. The final disembarkation of passengers at the airport was completed at 15:30, and the representatives of the crew that performed it had no complaints about the state of the equipment. The vessel underwent scheduled maintenance, and in the morning of October 31, 2015, a new crew took over (V. Nemov and S. Trukhachev), and preparations began for subsequent voyages - Sharm al-Sheikh-St. Petersburg-Sharm al-Sheikh.

The Kogalymavia company was a member of the international united holding company specializing in tourism - TH&C; it also included the Brisco company, which ordered a flight from Egypt to the northern capital.

Catastrophe

At 5:50 am local time in Egypt (6:50 Moscow time), the plane took off from Sharm al-Sheikh airport, headed north along the coast of the bay and gradually climbed to 6.4 km. After 12 minutes of flight, the liner turned left to bypass the Sinai Peninsula and reach the Mediterranean, the pilots intended to gain an altitude of 9.75 km.

On the 23rd minute of the flight, the airliner picked up a speed of 755 km / h and climbed 9.4 km when the situation came out of normal mode. The ship began to fall at a speed of 1.8 km / min. At 04:13 UTC, the flight recorder was interrupted amid extraneous noise. After 24 minutes of flight, the plane crashed in the Sinai and was instantly destroyed.

Search services have found the remains of the disaster among mountain ranges peninsula 50 km from the city of Nehel. The wreckage of the aircraft and fragments of the bodies of the victims were scattered within a radius of 13 km, over a territory with a total area of ​​30 km.

Reaction

President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin expressed his condolences to the families and relatives of the victims of the tragedy. On the head of the Government D.A. Medvedev was given the responsibility to create a commission to investigate the causes of the plane crash. V. Putin called for finding and eliminating the terrorists responsible for the tragedy.

Condolences to the relatives and relatives of the victims, as well as to all Russians, were expressed by:

• presidents and prime ministers of more than 50 countries of the world,
• Pope,
• secretaries general,
• heads of religious communities of the Russian Federation.

For relatives dead passengers“hot lines” were opened: by phone it was possible to find out all the information about the injured loved ones.

The scandalous French magazine "Charlie Hebdo" published 3 cartoons on its pages illustrating the plane crash, which caused sharp negative criticism from the Russian leadership and the public. The illustrations were called "blasphemous", "cruel" and "mocking in relation to the victims of the tragedy."

Fact. Representatives of the French Foreign Ministry replied that all journalists have the right to freely express their personal opinion, but it does not always coincide with the position of the country's official leaders.

On November 20, 2015, the UN Security Council issued a statement condemning the terrorist attacks, including the catastrophe over Sinai.

Mourning

November 1, 2015 became a day of mourning for Russians. V Northern capital a three-day mourning took place, in Leningrad region- four days.

Investigation into the causes of the tragedy over Sinai

The investigation into the crash was carried out jointly by several countries of the world, including Egypt and the Russian Federation, as well as representatives of Airbus and IASA.

On November 1, 2015, an investigation began: an analysis of the information contained in the on-board recorders, which practically survived, and the study of the remains of the dead. In Russia, a case was initiated under Articles 263 and 238 of the Criminal Code of Russia.

The fact that the remains of the airliner were found in a large area of ​​about 30 km, made it possible to conclude that the tragedy occurred at a high altitude.

On November 7, 2015, the official leadership of Egypt spoke about the results of the decryption, from which it followed that at the end of the recording, loud extraneous sounds were heard. At the end of the flight, an altitude of 9.415 km and a speed of about 520 km / h were recorded, the ship was moving under the guidance of an automatic pilot who needed to gain altitude.

At that time, several versions of the reasons for the plane crash were voiced:

• deterioration of aircraft equipment;
• ignition of the fuel tank;
• damage to the lithium battery of the liner.

On November 16, 2015, information was received that the plane crashed due to a terrorist act - an IED located in the back of the airbus was triggered, with a total capacity of 1 kg of TNT equivalent. This conclusion was made after the remains of non-Russian-made explosive substances were found on the fragments of the aircraft, personal belongings and the bodies of the victims.

Fact. On November 17, 2015, a public announcement was posted that a monetary reward of $ 50 million would be paid for helping to capture the terrorists guilty of the plane crash.

Analysis of the remains of the aircraft showed that the IED fired at the rear of the vessel, in 30-32 rows.

On December 14, 2015, a special commission organized by the Egyptian leadership announced the end of the investigation of the plane crash and the readiness of a report on it. It stated that in the process of analyzing the causes of the tragedy, nothing was found indicating a terrorist attack. This is due to the fact that in the opposite case, the indirect cause of the disaster would be a flaw in the security service of the Egyptian airport.

In early 2016, the current head of Egypt admitted that the airliner had crashed as a result of a terrorist attack.

Cause of the disaster

11/03/2015 from sources in the US Defense Department it became known that an American satellite noticed a bright flash, corresponding in place and time to the accident of the Airbus A321. There was no evidence of a missile hit as there would have been a temperature trail. The ignition in the air indicated that the tragedy could not have occurred during landing.

A few days after the plane crash, one of the terrorist groups within ISIS announced its involvement in the incident. However, the official Egyptian leadership named equipment malfunction as the alleged cause of the tragedy.

A number of media representatives, Russian and Egyptian transport officials rejected the explosion hypothesis, calling it propaganda.

On November 5, 2015, the intelligence services of the United States and Great Britain supported an unofficial version of a terrorist act based on information intercepted from ISIS fighters about the laying of a bomb on the plane.

According to the assumptions of foreign special services, expressed to various media, the IED was installed by terrorists subordinate to ISIS in the luggage compartment just before the flight.

11/16/2015 at the Council of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin's version of the explosion of a self-made device was confirmed by the head of the FSB of Russia A. Bortnikov.

On September 13, 2016, a special commission determined exactly where the bomb was located: in the oversized baggage section at the tail of the plane. To install the IED, the militants took advantage of the help of an employee of the Sharm al-Sheikh airport: just before the flight, a package with an explosive was laid, after which it was covered with wheelchairs and suitcases.

Consequences of the disaster

After the tragedy, many aviation companies, including "Kogalymavia", stopped flying over Sinai pending clarification of the exact reasons for the crash.

From 4 to 6 November 2015 the Governments of Great Britain, Ireland, Russia, Germany and others European countries suspended regular flights over the Sinai Peninsula.

11/16/2015 V.V. Putin announced that Russia will continue to look for the causes of the catastrophe, it is necessary to combine efforts and punish those responsible for the tragedy.

Fact. After the disaster in Egypt, an order was issued to intensify air strikes against the terrorist organization ISIS.

Conclusion

The plane crash over the Sinai Peninsula became the largest in the history of the Russian passenger aviation... On October 23, 2017, a monument to those killed over the Sinai was erected in St. Petersburg. On October 31, 2017, a memorial to the victims was laid in Vsevolozhsk.

Airbus A321-231 of the Kogalymavia company crashed over Sinai, performing chartered flight from Sharm El Sheikh to St. Petersburg. The liner collapsed in the air, according to the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC).

All 224 people on board were killed.

And that's all that is reliably known on Tuesday, three days after the disaster.

Despite this, various aviation experts, representatives of "Kogalymavia" and "unnamed sources" have already put forward several versions of what happened on board the plane.

Most analysts admit that it is too early to draw conclusions, but they point out that it is already clear that various stakeholders will be “beckoning” arguments in favor of a version that is advantageous to them, and it can be even more difficult to understand the reasons.

The Kremlin refused to set a specific date by which the investigation into the disaster should be completed. An Egyptian government official said on Tuesday that just decoding the flight recorders could take up to four weeks.

The BBC Russian service has collected five main versions of what happened.

Version 1. "Islamic State"

Shortly after the crash of A321, Islamic State jihadists claimed responsibility for the crash (the organization is recognized as extremist in Russia and banned).

"The soldiers of the Caliphate successfully attacked a Russian plane in the Sinai. The Islamic State fighters managed to shoot down a Russian airliner in Sinai province, in which more than 220 Russian crusaders were flying. They were all killed," foreign news agencies quoted a statement spread on social networks.

However, this version, according to aviation experts, is unlikely. Islamists in this region do not have systems capable of hitting air targets at an altitude of more than 3-4 thousand meters - while the A321 was at an echelon of over 9 thousand meters. However, some Western experts claim that at least one anti-aircraft missile system ("Cube") fell into the hands of militants, but this information has not been officially confirmed.

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov also denied information about the Islamic State attack: "We are in close contact with our Egyptian colleagues, the aviation authorities of this country. And at the moment they have no information that would confirm such fabrications."

Sources of RIA Novosti in the Egyptian power structures claimed that the nature of the wreckage and the position of the bodies of the victims "exclude that the plane exploded in the air."

The main argument of the supporters of this version is the assumption that in this way the "Islamic State" wanted to avenge Russia for the military operation in Syria. This thesis is categorically the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, who urged not to associate the disaster with the Syrian campaign.

Despite this, some airlines are flying over the Sinai Peninsula pending investigation.

Version 2. Poor repair

In 2001, when the plane was still owned by a Lebanese company, it was damaged while landing at the Cairo airport. Then the tail unit of the side suffered.

Further, representatives of "Kogalymavia" spoke about the development of the situation: after the accident, the plane was on the ground for some time while the damage was assessed by Airbus specialists. After a temporary repair, the aircraft was transported to Toulouse for major repairs.

In 2001, the manufacturing company completed a refurbishment that did not require further inspection.

"Everything was done by the manufacturer in accordance with the documentation developed by him. It is not necessary to say that this circumstance affected the flight characteristics of the airliner," said Andrey Averyanov, deputy general director of Kogalymavia for technical and production issues.

The company noted that the consequences of touching the tail strip in Cairo were completely eliminated, and the aircraft engines were checked five days before the accident, on October 26.

Other aviation experts are also inclined to this version. In particular, the pilot Airbus aircraft 330 Miroslav Boychuk in an interview with Gazeta.ru said that serious damage to the aircraft's tail does not mean that the aircraft cannot be operated in the future.

However, other experts, as proof that the version of a poor-quality repair has a right to exist, recall the Boeing 747 crash near Tokyo in 1985. The Japan Airlines plane collapsed in the air, gaining cruising altitude. The investigation established that the cause was improper repair of the tail section of the aircraft, made about seven years before the crash.

Version 3. "External influence"

This version is adhered to by the management of "Kogalymavia".

According to the deputy general director of the company, Alexander Smirnov, the plane could not collapse in the air by itself, but collapsed from some "mechanical impact" of an external force.

"There are no such failures of aircraft systems, there is no combination of failures that could lead to the fact that the aircraft would collapse in the air. Therefore, the only possible reason is a purely physical, mechanical effect on the aircraft," Smirnov said.

He argues that the "airbus" cannot be destroyed in the air even by going to extreme loads, since the aircraft's automation will prevent the pilots from attempting to make any sharp maneuvers.

At the same time, Kogalymavia did not specify what kind of impact they have in mind, citing the need to wait for the results of the investigation.

At the same time, one of the Reuters sources from a group of experts studying the plane's "black boxes" said that the plane was not exposed to external influences.

Version 4. Technical problems

Initially aviation authorities Egypt was named precisely technical problems as the main cause of the plane crash.

It was reported that the pilot warned the controllers that there was a "technical problem" on the plane and he needed to land as soon as possible. However, this information was soon officially denied.

Later, the NTV channel spoke with the ex-wife of the A321 co-pilot. Natalya Trukhacheva said that her ex-husband Sergei, in a telephone conversation with their daughter, complained about the technical condition of the plane.

“The eldest daughter called him before he flew away. Before the flight he complained that the technical condition of the plane left much to be desired,” she said, noting that Sergei was an experienced pilot and would do everything possible to land the plane.

Kogalymavia also spoke out in defense of the pilots, excluding the "human factor" from possible reasons.

After the statement of representatives of "Kogalymavia" that no system failures could lead to the fact that the plane would have collapsed in the air, the Federal Air Transport Agency urged not to rush to conclusions.

"Such a statement is premature and not based on any real facts," said the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency Alexander Neradko.

Apparently, at the moment, only the suspicion of low-quality fuel has been excluded: the Volga Transport Prosecutor's Office examined samples of fuel, which A321 was filled with before the flight to Egypt, and admitted that the fuel meets all the requirements.

Version 5. Explosion on board

The version about the explosion on board the American intelligence and analytical agency Stratfor. The report, prepared by the agency, notes that other versions of the loss of the liner are not excluded, but they are much less likely.

Analysts claim that the explosive device could have been hidden in the luggage compartment, or it could have been blown up by a suicide bomber among the passengers. Stratfor claims that the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, from where the Russian airliner departed, is not reliable, so if you wanted to bring an explosive device on board, it would not be difficult.

A version of the explosion of fuel tanks is not excluded, the report says.

The fact that the plane began to sharply lose altitude and fall apart, according to experts, only confirms the version of the explosion on board.

Professor Michael Clarke, general manager The Royal Joint Defense Research Institute (RUSI) told the BBC that the fact that the plane fell in two partly supports this theory. According to the expert, it is too early to state unequivocally that an explosion occurred on board, but Clark himself admits that the version of the explosion looks much more plausible than the assumption that the plane was attacked by a surface-to-air missile.

On Tuesday, TASS, citing sources in Cairo, said that at the crash site of the A321, "elements not related to the structure of the aircraft were found." What are these elements - the examination will establish. This information has not been officially confirmed.

Indirectly, this version was supported by the US Department of Defense: CBS News, citing the Pentagon, said that an American satellite recorded a thermal flash during the A321 crash. However, experts interviewed by ABC News do not exclude that the satellite recorded the moment the plane hit the ground.

Moreover, the heat outbreak may not be associated with the catastrophe at all, since special operations of the Egyptian army are taking place on the Sinai Peninsula.

Director General of the ICAA "Flight Safety" Sergei Melnichenko told the BBC: "Now Kogalymavia will say that they are not to blame, some external factors are to blame, Airbus will say that this is the best aircraft in the world, and they are to blame all the others, Ireland will say that they did a great job of heavy maintenance, Toulouse will say that they have repaired the plane perfectly after hitting the tail. It's okay, who will say: "Yes, we are to blame."

On October 30, Airbus 321-231 of the Kogalymavia airline successfully completed two flights on the route Sharm el-Sheikh - Samara - Sharm el-Sheikh. The handing over crew of the PIC Dmitry Zhigalkovich and the co-pilot Yuri Yushko do not express any comments on the liner. Already in the early morning of October 31, the plane will have two more ordinary flights: Sharm el-Sheikh - St. Petersburg - Sharm el-Sheikh. The board is already receiving the next crew: an experienced 48-year-old Valery Nemov, who has flown over 12,000 hours, and a 45-year-old co-pilot Sergei Trukhachev, a former military pilot who completed the Chechen campaign.

217 passengers will be waiting for them on board, most of them are from St. Petersburg, many are returning home with their families from a long-awaited holiday in Egypt. At 03:50:06 local time (06:50 Moscow time), flight 7K-9268 departs from Sharm el-Sheikh, after which, following the air corridor along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, it begins to climb.

In St. Petersburg, the plane, bypassing the Sinai Peninsula, will have to arrive at 12:10 local time, on a regular Saturday October noon, along with dozens of other domestic and international flights listed on the Pulkovo scoreboard. But neither then, nor after several delays, highlighted on the scoreboard, the long-awaited flight 9268 never returned to its homeland.

A few days after the disaster in the skies over Egypt, Flightradar will release data on the last flight of the A321 over Sinai. According to a summary posted on the website, the plane took off safely and began to climb, moving parallel to the coast. Minutes after the liner has turned inland, its height begins to plummet by 6,000 feet. Communication with the aircraft is lost. The first reports in the media that the Kogalymavia Airbus plane disappeared from the radar began to appear only at 10:18 Moscow time. In short news items, the data differ significantly: according to the information they contain, there were from 207 to 224 people on board. Some reports say the plane went missing in the Larnaca region of Cyprus.

Flight 9268 Sharm el Sheikh - St. Petersburg, operated by Airbus 321 Kogalymavia, took off at 6:21 Moscow time and disappeared from the radar screens 23 minutes later, there were 217 passengers and seven crew members on board, the Federal Air Transport Agency reported.

The account goes for a moment - two minutes later, there is news from the Arab media, reporting that a Russian plane crashed in the central part of the Sinai Peninsula. But the data is still scarce and not backed up by official confirmation. Hope persists. At 10:42 am, Reuters and Sky News publish the first reports denying the plane crash. Sources of publications claim that the crew of the missing plane got in touch in Turkey. Flightradar also does not confirm the fall, specifying that the liner sharply lowered the altitude before disappearing from the radar.

The Federal Air Transport Agency reports that they are trying to contact the flight that disappeared from the radar. At 11:44 on the Pulkovo online scoreboard, there is still information that the arrival of the aircraft from Sharm el-Sheikh is delayed (from 12:10 to 12:20). But already closer to 12, citing sources in the Federal Air Transport Agency, most of the media publish information about the crash of an airliner over the Sinai Peninsula. In Pulkovo, where by that time information about arrival disappears from the scoreboard, the headquarters for emergencies, The RF Ministry of Emergency Situations is preparing two aircraft for shipment to Egypt. Later, the department decides to send five special aircraft to Egypt.

Search parties found the site of the disaster among the mountains of the Sinai Peninsula. The wreckage of the liner was scattered over 13 kilometers.

The search operation took place in difficult conditions: North Sinai is a closed zone; for a year now, the Egyptian army has been conducting a large-scale operation there against militants of an extremist group associated with ISIS (the activities of the group are banned in Russia by the decision of the Supreme Court. - Note... ed.). It was the Egyptian military patrolling the area who first discovered the wreckage of the liner. The plane crashed in the En-Nahal mountain range, deserted, waterless and deserted place... According to the updated and officially confirmed information, there were 224 people on board the aircraft, including seven crew members. According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, there were 192 adults and 25 children among the passengers of the liner. They all died.

Dear Amalia, 28 years ago you gave the world a wonderful boy. Every mother dreams of such a son and a girl dreams of such a reliable and loving man next to her. A year ago, photos of all the victims were published, I immediately remembered Armen's face, it attracts the eye with its kind and pure smile, this is the face of a purposeful and very decent young man. I didn’t know him, but I’m terribly sorry for Armen. Such boys were obliged to live and give wonderful children to the world. But, unfortunately, another world, black and evil, took his life away. Strength and health to you. Thank you for such a son. It's a pity ... Blessed memory of Armen and a heavenly birthday. (Tatyana Svetlova, St. Petersburg) - such letters a year after the tragedy continue to receive the relatives of those killed in the terrible plane crash over Sinai.

On October 26, a few days before the plane crash, Armen Vishnev, a native of the city of Pushkin, who served in the Federal Customs Service, turned 27 years old. Armen flew to Egypt to rest, in one of the last messages he asked his mother not to be bored, because the separation would be short-lived, he promised to bring a magnet or, as a joke, even a whole camel.

A year after the tragedy, Amalia carefully keeps all the photographs and messages of her son. The caring residents of other regions of Russia and dozens of other relatives of the victims of the plane crash help her to honor the memory and relive the grief of loss. The tragedy brought together more than 36 thousand people on the Internet. Thanks to the efforts of Petersburgers, the Flight 9268 charity foundation was created, which now provides support to people who have lost loved ones in the disaster over Sinai.

The main goal for which we have united is to perpetuate the memory of our relatives in the deeds that we are able to accomplish: creating a memorial and a temple, preserving the memories of our loved ones, helping the families of the victims who need financial, legal and psychological support. Our foundation is not just an attempt to rally around a common cause. It is a protest against terrorism, murder, cruelty and injustice. A long journey begins with a small step. And we are all taking this step together - this is the goal set for themselves by people whose lives were divided by the tragedy into before and after the disaster.

Fund group in social networks has long become a kind of spontaneous book of memory, where you can find out the latest information about the course of the investigation of the tragedy, see again the photos of all those who did not return home from the ill-fated flight, and also provide all possible help to family and friends.

And it's not just about money: any support is valuable, because even after a year practice shows: time does not heal, and the long investigation and difficult bureaucratic procedures associated with the payment of compensation only exacerbate the already unabated pain of loss.

The tragedy cut off the lives of entire families: Olga and Yuri Shein and their three children were killed in the crash. The whole country from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok was shaken to the depths of his soul by the love story of Alexandra Chernova and Yevgeny Yavsin on board the A321: Yevgeny specially saved money to take Sasha to Egypt and propose to her there.
And dozens of other lifelong stories that ended so unjustly and suddenly on that unfortunate October morning. Most of the passengers of the crashed A321 were residents of the North-West of Russia, mainly from St. Petersburg, Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions. Also on board were four citizens of Ukraine and one citizen of Belarus. Flight 9268 "by Irina Zakharova, the remains that are now stored in the crematorium on Shafirovsky Prospect are not subject to examination. However, families still have hope to receive the fragments of the bodies of their deceased relatives: in Egypt, after the main stage of the investigation, new remains were found, and they are now being studied.

The report of the international commission to investigate the catastrophe of the Russian A321 over Sinai has not yet been made public: according to a source in the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation, experts will tell about the preliminary results of their work (and this is a year after the investigation) "within 60 days."

Now certain technical analyzes are being carried out, after which a preliminary report will be made public, - a representative of the Egyptian Ministry of Aviation told the media on October 26.

Recall that representatives of six countries are taking part in the investigation of the causes of the disaster: Egypt, Russia, as well as specialists from France, Germany, Ireland and the United States. Its course is governed by the Egyptian aviation authorities in accordance with the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
One of the first versions of the disaster was the assumption that the Russian plane could have been shot down by a missile fired by militants operating in the North Sinai region. However, this assumption was almost immediately refuted by experts as untenable. For a long time, specialists have worked out another probable cause crash of the airliner "Kogalymavia" - a version of technical problems. This was announced on the day of the crash in the operational services of Egypt following a preliminary inspection of the aircraft wreckage. At the initial stage of the investigation, Russian experts were inclined to the same version.

Representatives of "Kogalymavia" (Metrojet trademark) were the first to refute it: on November 2, the airline's press secretary, Alexander Smirnov, ruled out technical malfunction and pilot error as the causes of the crash and declared "external influence" on the liner. He stressed that the plane, which the airline owned on a lease basis, was 100% ready to fly and that its crew was "highly experienced." The company's representative backed up his speech with certificates received by the airline in early 2015. He also stated that the plane's engine was checked on October 26, five days before the crash.

On November 7, the IAC reported that until the recording on the recorders was terminated, the flight was proceeding normally, no information about the failure of the aircraft's systems and assemblies was recorded.

At a meeting in the Kremlin on November 16, the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, officially announced for the first time that the cause of the crash was a terrorist attack. Versions of third-party interference with links to different sources were previously published in foreign and Russian media. “We can definitely say that this is a terrorist act,” Bortnikov said, adding that traces of foreign-made explosives were found on the wreckage and belongings. - According to our experts, an improvised explosive device with a capacity of up to 1 kg in TNT was detonated on board the aircraft in flight, as a result of which the aircraft fell apart in the air, which explains the spread of parts of the aircraft fuselage at a great distance.

Bortnikov explained that the conclusions were made by experts after a thorough examination of personal belongings, passengers' luggage and parts. wrecked liner.

At first, it was assumed that an explosive device was planted under the passenger seat 30A or 31A. However, in September 2016, the commission's data were published, according to which an explosion occurred in the tail section, in the oversized baggage compartment. A timer bomb was hidden among the prams. The experts came to this conclusion after analyzing the layout of the collected fragments of the A321 in the hangar of the Cairo airport. Due to the explosion, the aircraft lost its tail section, after which it switched to an uncontrolled dive.

The investigation into the tragedy is progressing very slowly, and all the circumstances of the incident are still unknown. Liability for the crash Russian aircraft almost immediately took over the Egyptian cell of the Islamic State group banned in Russia. Airport employees could have brought an explosive device aboard - numerous evidences of a weak level of security in air harbor Immediately after the tragedy, the Internet flooded: many tourists said that for a small bribe they calmly carried bags with things through all security cordons, and no one examined them themselves. However, the Egyptian side for a long time insisted on the version of a technical malfunction, refusing to acknowledge the possibility of a terrorist attack on board the liner. In December 2015, the technical investigation committee issued a statement saying that Cairo had found no signs of terrorist involvement in Airbus crash 321. It was not until February 2016 that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi admitted for the first time that a terrorist attack was the cause of the crash of a Russian plane in the skies over Sinai. The head of state said this at the presentation of a report on the development of the country until 2030.

On August 30, 2016, it was announced that Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani, who, presumably, was the organizer of the terrorist attack, was destroyed in Aleppo, Syria.

Air traffic with Egypt, which was interrupted immediately after the crash of the A321, has not yet been restored. According to the official comment of the Russian Ministry of Transport, the situation will not change until all the remarks in the field of aviation security are eliminated.

A decision on the resumption of air traffic between Russia and Egypt is possible only after the elimination of all remarks in the field of aviation and transport security... It is worth noting that the Egyptian side has made significant progress in resolving these issues and the interaction of the two countries is quite constructive, ”the ministry noted on October 25.

The Garden of Memory ", which will be located on Rumbolovskaya Hill in Vsevolozhsk, will be completed and fresh flowers will bloom here. A corridor of slabs, on which, in accordance with the design of the monument, will be the names of all those who died in the A321 plane crash, as well as metal structures in the form of pipes on which the wind will play, anyone who drives along the Road of Life will see.

On Monday, October 31, a memorial service for the victims of the A321 crash in the sky over the Sinai Peninsula will be held at St. Isaac's Cathedral. In memory of those who never returned home to their families and friends, the cathedral bell will ring 224 times.

Putin is using the plane crash of the Russian A321 airliner as an excuse to ramp up attacks against ISIS.

The A321 crash over the Sinai Peninsula is a plane crash that occurred on October 31, 2015 over the central part of the Sinai Peninsula and became one of the largest in the history of world aviation. The largest plane crash in the history of Egypt and the aircraft of the Airbus A320 family. The most massive death of Russian citizens in a plane crash. Airbus airliner The A321 of the Russian company Kogalymavia (trademark Metrojet) was chartered by the tour operator Brisco and operated on a charter flight from Sharm El Sheikh to St. Petersburg. 23 minutes after departure, radio communication with the crew was lost, and the liner itself disappeared from the radars. Search teams of the Egyptian government found the wreckage of the plane near the city of Nehel. All 224 people on board (including 25 children and 7 crew members) were killed.

The reported technical problems did exist, although not due to an oversight of the airline mechanics. It was not a bomb and the plane was not shot down by ISIS terrorists. We have warned that air travel will become increasingly dangerous, and that when flying over regions where rock is under pressure from compression, especially if it is underwater, the electromagnetic pulse is amplified. separates the Sinai Peninsula from the lands on either side of it, which will eventually lead to a gap of 50 miles. Flight 9268 was mainly flying over the Sinai Peninsula when disaster struck, technical issues caused problems with the fuel supply, resulting in an explosion.

10/31/15. The first reports of the plane crash dated October 31. "The pilot of the missing Russian plane flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, after takeoff requested a route change and landing at Cairo airport due to technical problems, RIA Novosti reports, citing a source at Sharm el-Sheikh airport. airport sources said the liner was at an altitude of over 9,000 meters when the ship's commander contacted the dispatchers and requested a landing due to the breakdown of the radio station.

To their credit, the heads of various states whose airlines may be affected by the EMP from the charged tail of Nibiru are taking steps to avoid the victims of plane crashes. The airline business and travel business can go to hell. Profit is not as important as people's lives. The latest Newsletter provides a list of impressive electromagnetic pulse plane crashes with ridiculous explanations of the official versions. Pilot mistake or suicide, bad weather, all this despite the obvious electromagnetic problems.

On November 4, the aviation authorities of Great Britain and Ireland banned their airlines from flying over the Sinai Peninsula and to Sharm El Sheikh. On November 5, German airlines announced the cancellation of flights to Sharm el-Sheikh. France, the Netherlands and Belgium have warned their citizens about the undesirability of flights to Sharm el-Sheikh; the company announced the cancellation of night flights to Sharm el-Sheikh Turkish Airlines... On November 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the suggestion of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, decided to suspend air traffic with Egypt "until the proper level of safety of air traffic is established."

The Sinai disaster was not caused by a bomb, as the plane was damaged long before the explosion. An electromagnetic pulse leads to both a voltage drop and its surges, thus, the fuel supply first slowed down and then increased to hyperactivity, similar to the overload of transformers at the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP in 2009. As a result, an explosion occurred on board. Sweden reported the shutdown of radars, the UK and Russia suspect the presence of a bomb on board, but whatever the reason, which is the area from Scandinavia to Kazakhstan, and the English Channel, and the vast Mediterranean Sea, and the Sinai region. They will ask NASA to provide accurate reports on any evidence of an impulse near the Earth, then quickly blame the Sun for it.

09.11.15. A British Airways plane, which had one of its engines in the air, returned to Heathrow Airport. None of the passengers were injured. On the plane, one of the engines was turned off due to a fuel leak. The crew discovered emergency situation when the liner was over the English Channel. The pilots decided to turn the plane around and, with one engine running, land it at London airport.

05.11.15. A commission has been established in the kingdom to investigate the reasons for the failure of civil aviation control systems. On Thursday, November 5, in the afternoon, the radars of the southern part of Sweden, including the Stockholm airports Arlanda and Bromma, as well as the Gothenburg - Landvetter, were denied work. As a result, there were numerous glitches in the schedule. air traffic that affected thousands of air passengers. “However, the changes in 'space weather' were pretty run-of-the-mill,” Urban Brandström of the Institute for Space Physics, from Kiruna, told Radio Sweden Ekot. According to him, the strength of the geomagnetic storm was minimal - 1 point, while only civil aviation radars were out of order. In addition, the "solar storm" did not affect the neighboring countries of Sweden.

05.11.15. At least 17 thousand residents of St. Petersburg were left without power supply due to the shutdown of the units of the thermal power station in Avtovo, RIA Novosti reports. Homes in the Vasileostrovsky and Kirovsky districts of the city were without electricity. This was due to the fact that the equipment at Avtovskaya CHPP was disconnected.

09.11.15. The collapse of two residential buildings in Egypt killed ten people. The tragedy took place in small town El Fayum southwest of Cairo. Due to flooding last week, most cities and towns in northern Egypt have been flooded. The first floors of buildings, city embankments and highways were completely submerged in water. Mudflows also affected the province of Bahariya, as a result of which an entire village was washed away. The authorities managed to save 75 people. 20 residential buildings were completely destroyed in Alexandria. It is reported that at the moment 25 residents of the country have become victims of the disaster.

The A321 was clearly affected before the suspected bomb detonated as it changed course as it flew over the Gulf of Aqaba and headed for Cairo, slowing down for a few minutes and reporting technical problems. Do bombs explode slowly? The fuel supply system was damaged by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), it slowed down, and there was insufficient fuel flow. Then, in the impulse, the reverse process took place, which accelerated the engines to overheating, and together with the spilled fuel, this led to an explosion. Both now and in the future, any excuse will be used to cancel aircraft flights or avoid EMP zones, but no EMP recognition should be expected.

On Tuesday, November 17, the cause of the crash of the A321 aircraft in Egypt became known. As the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a bomb went off on board the crashed aircraft. This is an improvised explosive device.

Putin is using the plane crash of the Russian A321 airliner as an excuse to ramp up attacks against ISIS. Was it not France that refused to supply a warship to Russia just a year ago, citing the conflict in Ukraine? And suddenly, as a result of the attack on Paris, France and Russia became partners in the fight against ISIS. Of course, Russia is also a target of ISIS, so Putin does not need any excuses to ramp up the strikes, but why did they need to be accelerated right now? It is clear that during the G20 summit, Putin and Obama discussed this in private. Both Putin and Obama are ready to announce the impending passage of Nibiru and want to end ISIS by then.