The management of "Kogalymavia" on Monday came out with its version of the cause of the A321 disaster in Egypt: the equipment was in good order, the crew was professional, the incident that occurred in 2001 did not affect the plane, the liner collapsed from external influences. This version, however, was denied by the Egyptian Commission of Inquiry. Experts are now discussing the two versions as roughly equally probable.

The general director of the airline "Kogalymavia" Alexander Snagovsky said on Monday that he believes that the reason for the Russian Airbus-321 on the Sinai Peninsula is external influence. According to him, an aircraft like the A321 could not collapse in the air due to the failure of any technical systems. The only cause of destruction in the air, according to him, may be a mechanical effect, RIA Novosti reports.

"No fatigue crack can develop to a critical size."

At the same time, Snagovsky stressed that Kogalymavia excludes the human factor and the technical factor as versions of the plane crash.

On the eve, we will remind, the flight crew of the airline "Kogalymavia" published a letter in which he stated that the crashed plane was controlled by experienced pilots, whose actions were disasters.

However, this version does not fit with the information received from the flight recorders. A Reuters source in the Egyptian Commission of Inquiry said that, according to the first data analyzed, the liner was not exposed to external influences and did not send a distress signal before hitting the ground.

Airline version

Andrey Averyanov, deputy general director of the airline for technical and production issues, expanded the version of the airline in more detail: when the A321 plane of the Kogalymavia airline went down over the Sinai Peninsula, the aircraft most likely received significant structural damage, the crew completely lost control over control. In addition, in less than a minute, the A321 aircraft was decelerated by more than 300 km per hour and the altitude decreased by 1.5 km. At the same time, there was not a single attempt to get in touch and report an emergency on board.

“During the transition to the fall, the A321 aircraft most likely received significant structural damage, which did not allow it to continue flying. And, apparently, in this regard, at the same moment of the beginning of development disastrous situation the crew completely lost their efficiency, this can explain the fact that there was not a single attempt to get in touch and report an emergency on board, ”he explained.

A survey of the crews working on the crashed A321 in Egypt confirmed that the liner was in excellent technical condition. As the air carrier noted, over the past five flights, there were no comments in the logbook from the A321 crew on problems with the aircraft.

Kogalymavia argues that repairs carried out in 2001 after the tail of the plane touched the runway during landing (then the car belonged to a Lebanese carrier) could not have caused the crash, since the flaws would have been discovered since then.

“Regarding fatigue cracks, it should be noted that the work on assessing fatigue cracks is being carried out at aircraft every five years. We carried out such work with the utmost care on the plane, it was just 2014 in March, ”said the flight director of Kogalymavia, Alexander Smirnov.

“Aircraft design defines airworthiness standards to ensure that no fatigue crack can develop to a critical size during the inspection interval,” he added.

Terrorist attack is not excluded

“Let's wait for the official results of the investigation, and the commission will tell us about its results, I would not like to engage in speculation now, this is not in my competence,” Smirnov suggested.

Answering the question whether there could have been a terrorist attack, Smirnov said: "Anything could have happened."

The Kremlin did not rule out a version of a terrorist attack either, although presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that it was necessary to first wait for the results of the investigation.

Recall that on Saturday the agency France-Press, without references to sources, posted information that the Sinai cell of ISIS claimed responsibility for the death of the plane with people. There was no confirmation of this information, and the Minister of Transport of Russia said that there was no evidence that the plane was shot down. In addition, the Investigative Committee of Russia opened a case under Art. 263 (violation of flight rules and preparation for them) and under Part 3 of Art. 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (provision of services that do not meet safety requirements).

However, experts do not exclude something else - an explosion on board.

Assumptions

Experts are currently discussing two versions - the destruction of the aircraft in the air as a result of a terrorist attack and due to technical problems of the aircraft.

Former head of the French Bureau of Investigation and Security Analysis civil aviation Jean-Paul Troadek stated that, according to the information that is known on this moment, he can conclude: the plane crashed out of its dive.

“Obviously, the plane crashed out of its dive. There are no small fragments, which suggests that he fell off-peak. That's all there is to say at this stage, ”Troadek told Belgian newspaper La Derniere heure.

"Examining the wreckage and flight recorder data will quickly determine which hypothesis is more likely: a crime or an accident," he said.

Allen Bouillard, investigator in France aviation accidents, told the New York Times that he had no idea what technical problems could lead to the destruction in flight of such modern aircraft like the Airbus A321-200. “Air destruction due to technical failure seems extremely unlikely to me,” he added.

At the same time, the former head of the US National Transportation Safety Board Mark Rosenker said that he is more inclined to believe that the cause of the crash was precisely technology, and not a terrorist attack, citing the fact that the plane was damaged in 2001 in favor of his version. year - when landing at high speed in Cairo, the tail touched the runway. Then the board was operated by the carrier Middle East Airlines. However, Rosenker did not deny the possibility of a terrorist attack.

President of the Civil Aviation Partner Foundation, Honored Pilot of the USSR, Oleg Smirnov, in an interview with the VZGLYAD newspaper, said that he did not exclude both the version of the terrorist attack and the technical one. According to him, it is necessary to check whether the skin was opened during the repair of the aircraft after the accident in 2001: if the repair was limited to replacing the tail, the specialists might not see the microcracks formed on the fuselage. Such microcracks sooner or later lead to tragedy. In addition, Smirnov did not rule out depressurization: for example, an engine explosion occurred, after which the turbine could penetrate the plane's skin, and the plane was torn apart by an air stream.

Initiatives

Meanwhile, the main legislative body in Russia continues to discuss measures that could make the country's aviation industry safer. On Saturday, we will remind, the deputy Alexei Pushkov proposed to prohibit the operation of aircraft older than 15 years, and on Sunday he added that two or three carriers should be left on the market.

Anatoly Vyborny, a member of the State Duma Security Committee, was not so categorical. In an interview with the VZGLYAD newspaper, he expressed the opinion that such restrictions should be discussed with aviation professionals. He also drew attention to the need to combat the supply of counterfeit aircraft parts.

Oleg Nilov, a member of the State Duma Committee on Transport, put forward an initiative to introduce a state monopoly on passenger air transportation: “I believe that we need to consider - and I have already made such a proposal - about returning the state monopoly. In any case, those companies that carry out passenger air transportation should be under the 100% control of the state, ”Nilov said, noting that in recent years Russia has taken one of the first places in terms of the number of aviation accidents. “If we count the number of flights and the number of the population, I’m afraid that this will be the first place,” the parliamentarian added.

Nilov recalled that the experience of the state monopoly on air transportation already existed, including in Soviet times. “As a variant of a compromise, I propose: 51% of the shares - in the hands of the state, 49% - in the hands of private investors, entrepreneurs,” the deputy said.

“It will be difficult to do this through some kind of law, amendments to the law. It would be more correct to apply to the government with such an initiative, and if it considers it possible, it will either prepare its own decrees, decisions and, if necessary, legislative acts, "he explained to TASS.

Yevgeny Fedorov, a member of the State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes, expressed the opinion that small airlines, whose fleet consists of three to ten aircraft, cannot ensure flight safety in full. “There are companies - three to five to ten planes. It is clear that they will not be able to pull out the security in full. You need to have several large airlines, like in banking. The strategic line itself is wrong, ”he said.

“Over the past year, accidents in the aviation industry have increased by 35%,” the deputy concluded.

Hot topic: emergency

An onboard explosion is the most likely cause of the A321 crash, Stratfor experts say

In their opinion, the explosive device was carried in hand luggage.

Experts of the private American intelligence and analytical company Stratfor believe that the most likely cause of the plane crash over Egypt is the carrying of an explosive device on board the Airbus A321. This is stated in the published report of the organization.

“While we cannot completely rule out the possibility of a plane crash, such an explanation would be unusual given the circumstances of the crash,” the authors of the report say. According to them, most plane crashes that occur due to aircraft equipment failure occur during takeoff and landing, when the mechanical load on the board increases. “An aircraft rarely breaks down during a flight at altitude,” experts say.

The report also says that in the event of equipment failure, the pilots of the airliner would most likely be able to maneuver, and before touching the ground, the plane would fly without any catastrophic consequences.

In addition, analysts believe an unlikely version, according to which the plane was shot down by militants of the "Islamic State" (the group is banned in the Russian Federation) with Sinai Peninsula... “While militants in the area managed to use MANPADS to shoot down an Egyptian helicopter and fire rockets at an Israeli plane, Flight 9268 was out of range,” the report said.

“Given the unlikely likelihood of alternative scenarios, it seems that the most likely explanation for the crash is the presence of an explosive device on board,” the authors of the report conclude. In their opinion, the explosive device was carried in hand luggage.

Earlier, the CBS News TV channel reported that the American satellite recorded in the infrared spectrum over the Sinai Peninsula at the time of the fall of the Russian A321 in Egypt.

On the morning of October 31, a Russian passenger plane Airbus A321 of the Kogalymavia airline crashed over the Sinai Peninsula during a flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board were killed. On Saturday, A321 flight recorders were found at the crash site, and on Sunday, experts in Egypt began to decode them. The IAC reported that the airliner collapsed in the air.

Now close attention is paid to the results of processing black boxes. It is reported that both were found, but one, where the pilots' negotiations are contained, is damaged, special care is required in the process of extracting the data. Previously unnamed sources reported that the pilots' conversations did not indicate what emergency situation let's say technical issues True, some strange noises were mentioned, but there is no specific information on this yet.

Apparently, the search at the crash site is nearing completion. The wreckage of the plane and the remains of the bodies of the dead are scattered over a large area. More than 30 square kilometers have already been thoroughly surveyed, as it was stated, if necessary, the fall area will be checked down to a centimeter. By the end of today, the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Vladimir Puchkov set the task to complete the work as planned.

Alexander Agafonov, Director of the Department of Fire and Rescue and Special Forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation: “The main efforts today were focused on hard-to-reach areas, aircraft... In the morning after the departure of the IAC, an additional decision was made for an additional examination of the large burnt-out wreckage of the aircraft. "

The British authorities, without waiting for the end of the investigation, drew their hasty conclusions and took action. The version of the explosive device was put forward, among others, from the very beginning of the investigation. The Egyptian and Russian authorities asked to wait until the end of the investigative actions. So far, there has been no reliable confirmation of the sabotage.

Egyptian authorities categorically assert that it is impossible to carry a bomb on board, they say, Sharm el-Sheikh airport is famous for its reliability. The Egyptians reacted with dissatisfaction to reports from the United States and Great Britain about the inside of the "Islamic State" (the organization is banned in the Russian Federation), which testify to an explosive device.

Suspicions, as the media write, fall primarily on the service personnel, who could be bribed or recruited. The British are already taking concrete measures in this regard. Immediately after the disaster, they were for their airlines from Egypt to the UK. As a result of an urgent discussion, it was decided to stop flights also from Great Britain to the Egyptian resort, and the citizens of the country were advised not to go there.

Philip Hammond, UK Foreign Secretary: “At a meeting of the emergency committee chaired by the Prime Minister, we carefully studied the information about the crash of the Russian liner in the Sinai and came to the conclusion that an explosive device on board was most likely the cause of the crash, so we are canceling all flights of national carriers to Sharm el-Sheikh ".

Every year, 900,000 Britons travel to Egypt. At least 2,000 people from the United Kingdom are now stuck in the resorts, and it is not yet known how they should get home. According to NTV columnist Vladimir Kondratyev, British experts on the spot check the Egyptian security measures. It is reported that the former director of the airport in Sharm el-Sheikh has been removed from office. True, he stayed to help the new leader.

For Egypt, which employs a large number of people in the tourism industry, it is important to maintain its image. The Russian media reported that so far the investigators have not found any traces of a mine-explosive nature, so the version of the explosion is still only one of the versions.

To date, 58 victims of the crash have already been identified, including all crew members. ... Genetic examinations will take a long time, perhaps the process will drag on for months.

Today in St. Petersburg the funerals of the victims, who have been 100% identified, begin. The authorities are handing over the identified bodies to loved ones. Also, from today, cash payments to the families of the victims begin.

All indications are that a technical problem led to the A321 crash, said Egyptian government spokesman Husam al-Kawish.

“Artificial satellites at the disposal of the United States and Russia have ruled out the likelihood of a catastrophe due to a terrorist attack. Everything indicates that the plane fell due to a technical problem inside, "RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

Let us remind you that the Airbus-321 aircraft of the Kogalymavia company, which took off early Saturday morning from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, over the Sinai Peninsula. Onboard there were 217 passengers and seven crew members. They all died. The cause of the disaster is not yet clear.

According to some reports, the destruction of the plane took place in the air. The Russian transport authorities call it unlikely. No traces of explosives were found on the fragments of the aircraft.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian medical examiner, who participated in the examination, said that the nature of the injuries to the bodies of the A321 passengers on board prior to collision with the ground.

However, a source at the Center for Forensic Medicine said that a preliminary examination of the mine and explosive marks on the bodies of the victims of the crash.

A Pentagon spokesman said there was a thermal flash in the sky at the time of the crash of the Russian liner. A Pentagon spokesman also confirmed that the liner “broke up into a very high altitude", And from the data received from the satellite, it follows that at the time of the flight" there was some kind of explosion. "

Later that day, a spokesman for the Interstate Aviation Committee said there was information that there was a heat flash on the A321 before the crash.

On the night of Monday to Tuesday, CBS News reported that at the time of the fall of the A321 "Kogalymavia" aircraft, the American satellite had a thermal flash over Sinai. As the TV channel specified, one of the reasons may be a bomb, but an explosion in a fuel tank or engine as a result of a mechanical breakdown is also possible.

Unofficial sources reported that from the recording of the flight crew's conversations with the dispatchers, it follows that the situation on board remained from the radar four minutes before the disappearance of the aircraft, the crew conducted normal negotiations with the dispatchers, did not indicate anything on board, the crew did not report them either. The moment of disappearance of the liner from the radar screens on the recording is preceded by sounds uncharacteristic for a regular flight.

The head of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin on Tuesday. A commission to investigate the causes of the plane crash in full force at the crash site, where it examined the wreckage of the plane.

Exactly a year ago, on October 31, 2015, there was the most massive air crash in Russia in terms of the number of victims. Then in the north of the Sinai Peninsula plane A321 Russian airline Kogalymavia. Onboard there were 217 passengers, including 24 children, and seven crew members. They all died. The Russian authorities have recognized the incident as a terrorist attack, but an international investigation has not yet been completed.

On October 31, the A321 aircraft of the Russian airline "Kogalymavia" performed chartered flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. The liner took off at 5:50 am and disappeared from radar 23 minutes later. On the same day, search teams of the Egyptian government discovered the wreckage of a destroyed plane near the city of Nehel in the north of the Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board were killed, including 219 Russians, four citizens of Ukraine and one native of Belarus.

Causes of the crash of A321

International investigation led by aviation authorities Egypt is not over yet. It is attended by representatives from Russia, France, Germany, Ireland and the United States.

The first that a terrorist attack could have occurred on board the A321, shortly after the plane crash, began to report in the Western media, citing their sources in the special services and officials. From these publications it followed that the US and British authorities considered the version of the terrorist attack the most likely. However, Moscow has long publicly distanced itself from her, calling the version of the terrorist attack premature and urging to wait for the official results of the investigation. And only on November 6, it was decided to suspend air traffic with Egypt until the reasons for the crash of A321 were clarified and the Russians staying there were evacuated.

Officially, the terrorist attack of the FSB that took place over Sinai only two and a half weeks after the disaster, on November 17. According to the ministry, an improvised explosive device went off during the flight. Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the Security Council to find the organizers of the crash "anywhere in the world" and destroy them.

However, the Egyptian authorities, even after these statements, continued to insist that the most likely cause of the disaster was a technical problem. And only in February 2016, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi admitted that a terrorist attack had taken place on board the A321.

In September, the Kommersant newspaper, citing sources, reported that an international technical commission had established exact location explosion in an airplane. According to the newspaper, experts determined that the terrorists had mined the oversized baggage compartment in the rear of the plane, hiding an explosive device between baby carriages and wicker furniture that the tourists were carrying.

Russia and the CIA believe that the explosion on board was organized by Vilayat Sinai (until 2014 - Ansar Beit al-Maqdis), a cell of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) banned in Russia. The group claimed responsibility for the A321 crash: On November 18, 2015, the Islamic State's propaganda magazine Dabik published a photograph of an improvised explosive device made from a can of Schweppes soda. As stated in the article, it was this device that was powered aboard the A321. In August 2016, the Egyptian military about the assassination of the leader of the "Vilayat Sinai" Abu Dua'a al-Ansari, suspected of organizing a terrorist attack.

Scandalous case

Relatives of those killed in the crash have repeatedly complained about the progress of the investigation and the process of payment of compensation. In December, lawyer Igor Trunov, on behalf of 35 relatives, filed a complaint against the inaction of the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, in the Basmanny Court. According to the lawyer, she expressed herself in the fact that the UK ignored two appeals from relatives. In one of them, they asked to provide the number of the criminal case, recognize them as victims and familiarize themselves with the materials of the investigation. Another complaint concerned Ingosstrakh. The appeal claimed that the company was fraudulently receiving statements from the relatives of the deceased, limiting their right to go to court in order to obtain compensation. Ingosstrakh itself categorically rejected these accusations. And the lawsuit against Bastrykin was rejected.

Effects

After the crash of the Kogalymavia plane, Russia suspended flights with Egypt, and tour operators were banned from working in this direction. All year long they have been waiting for the resumption of communication with the country, which for many years has been one of the main resort destinations for Russians. According to the latest data, this may not happen until December or January.

To resume flights, the Egyptian side needs to fulfill a number of airport security requirements (their full list has not been officially made public). During the year, Russia repeatedly sent its specialists to Egypt for checks at the airports of Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, but each time there were violations. According to sources of the newspaper "Al-Watan", quoted by TASS, "a number of Russian structures refuse to discuss the issue of resuming flights with Egypt until the results of an official investigation appear."

With the closure of flights, Egypt suffered significant losses. From the collapse of tourism - one of the key industries for the country (more than 11% of GDP until November 2015) - the budget of Egypt, according to Reuters estimates, has lost more than three billion dollars.

The crash of the Russian airbus and the subsequent termination of flights to the Arab Republic led to problems for Kogalymavia itself and the associated tour operator Brisco, which ordered flight 9268. Since spring 2015, the case on declaring the carrier bankrupt has been dragging on, the next meeting will be held on November 10. In March, the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) limited the Kogalymavia operator's certificate and revoked its access to 13 international destinations.

The flight organizer, the tour operator Brisco, suspended work on August 2 until it pays off debts to clients and agencies. As reported on the Brisco website, after the closure of flights to Egypt and Turkey, the company suffered "colossal financial and economic losses."