92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

[Baron]

Obama stroke again? First Russian Ambassador, now a plane with the Military Choir Number 1 as Christmas Gift to Russian people. Accident?A revenge for Syria?It is well-known that since Yeltsin time all Russian technical facilities are full of the Fifth column - so called 'democrats' who willingly help to pillage and to destroy the country.Will Obama provoke WWIII to steal Trump election and to punish Putin for fighting ISIS?

Rescue helicopters have discovered debris in the Black Sea from a Russian military transport plane which went off radar en route to Syria. Most of the passengers on the Tu-154 were members of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir.
According to preliminary reports, the Tupolev transport plane had 92 people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. It went missing over the Black Sea at 2:40 GMT shortly after refueling at an airport near Sochi.

Most of the passengers on board were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. They were travelling from Moscow to the Russian military base Khmeimim near Latakia, Syria to take part in a Christmas celebration with troops deployed there. The head of the choir, conductor and composer Valery Khalilov, is among the 65 members of the ensemble presumed dead in the accident.

Crews from Channel One Russia, NTV, and Zvezda (the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry), each with three members, were on board as well, the outlets confirmed.

The passenger list released by the defense ministry also includes Elizaveta Glinka, a prominent charity activist and humanitarian worker. She is best known by her blogger nickname “Doctor Liza.” Some reports initially said she may have deplaned in Sochi, but the Presidential Council for Human Rights confirmed that she was on board.

Glinka was best known for aiding children with serious conditions like cancer, homeless people, and other vulnerable individuals. In the past few years, she organized humanitarian missions to conflict zones, including eastern Ukraine and Syria. For her efforts, she was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, the fifth highest state award in Russia.

92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

 

[ABikerSailor]

Sounds like a whole bunch of fake news to me.

 

[Baron]

Sounds like a whole bunch of fake news to me.

The name 'Fake News' was invented by liberals to shout up investigative journalism and alternative medias.Only controlled by Soros and NWO mainstream presstitutes are nice media, right?

 

[Snouter]

The Muslim savages are learning how to use the gear Obama and Crooked Hillary sent them. It is going to be great when Putin and The Donald get serious and together destroy the Muslim savages and get them the hell out of Europe and Russian areas.

 

[Baron]

The Muslim savages are learning how to use the gear Obama and Crooked Hillary sent them. It is going to be great when Putin and The Donald get serious and together destroy the Muslim savages and get them the hell out of Europe and Russian areas.

Are you meaning Muslim Hussein Obama?

 

[tyroneweaver]

I don't have much use for muslims, russians, nor obama.

 

[esthermoon]

Obama stroke again? First Russian Ambassador, now a plane with the Military Choir Number 1 as Christmas Gift to Russian people. Accident?A revenge for Syria?It is well-known that since Yeltsin time all Russian technical facilities are full of the Fifth column - so called 'democrats' who willingly help to pillage and to destroy the country.Will Obama provoke WWIII to steal Trump election and to punish Putin for fighting ISIS?

Rescue helicopters have discovered debris in the Black Sea from a Russian military transport plane which went off radar en route to Syria. Most of the passengers on the Tu-154 were members of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir.
According to preliminary reports, the Tupolev transport plane had 92 people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. It went missing over the Black Sea at 2:40 GMT shortly after refueling at an airport near Sochi.

Most of the passengers on board were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. They were travelling from Moscow to the Russian military base Khmeimim near Latakia, Syria to take part in a Christmas celebration with troops deployed there. The head of the choir, conductor and composer Valery Khalilov, is among the 65 members of the ensemble presumed dead in the accident.

Crews from Channel One Russia, NTV, and Zvezda (the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry), each with three members, were on board as well, the outlets confirmed.

The passenger list released by the defense ministry also includes Elizaveta Glinka, a prominent charity activist and humanitarian worker. She is best known by her blogger nickname “Doctor Liza.” Some reports initially said she may have deplaned in Sochi, but the Presidential Council for Human Rights confirmed that she was on board.

Glinka was best known for aiding children with serious conditions like cancer, homeless people, and other vulnerable individuals. In the past few years, she organized humanitarian missions to conflict zones, including eastern Ukraine and Syria. For her efforts, she was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, the fifth highest state award in Russia.

92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

RIP
All these bad news...
In the last two weeks there were so many acts of terrorism and violence...

 

[Toro]

Obama stroke again? First Russian Ambassador, now a plane with the Military Choir Number 1 as Christmas Gift to Russian people. Accident?A revenge for Syria?It is well-known that since Yeltsin time all Russian technical facilities are full of the Fifth column - so called 'democrats' who willingly help to pillage and to destroy the country.Will Obama provoke WWIII to steal Trump election and to punish Putin for fighting ISIS?

Rescue helicopters have discovered debris in the Black Sea from a Russian military transport plane which went off radar en route to Syria. Most of the passengers on the Tu-154 were members of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir.
According to preliminary reports, the Tupolev transport plane had 92 people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. It went missing over the Black Sea at 2:40 GMT shortly after refueling at an airport near Sochi.

Most of the passengers on board were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. They were travelling from Moscow to the Russian military base Khmeimim near Latakia, Syria to take part in a Christmas celebration with troops deployed there. The head of the choir, conductor and composer Valery Khalilov, is among the 65 members of the ensemble presumed dead in the accident.

Crews from Channel One Russia, NTV, and Zvezda (the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry), each with three members, were on board as well, the outlets confirmed.

The passenger list released by the defense ministry also includes Elizaveta Glinka, a prominent charity activist and humanitarian worker. She is best known by her blogger nickname “Doctor Liza.” Some reports initially said she may have deplaned in Sochi, but the Presidential Council for Human Rights confirmed that she was on board.

Glinka was best known for aiding children with serious conditions like cancer, homeless people, and other vulnerable individuals. In the past few years, she organized humanitarian missions to conflict zones, including eastern Ukraine and Syria. For her efforts, she was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, the fifth highest state award in Russia.

92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

Oh, shut up.

92 people are dead.

Can we just mourn them without you spewing your bizarre conspiracy theories?

RIP

 

[jon_berzerk]

 

[Baron]

Obama stroke again? First Russian Ambassador, now a plane with the Military Choir Number 1 as Christmas Gift to Russian people. Accident?A revenge for Syria?It is well-known that since Yeltsin time all Russian technical facilities are full of the Fifth column - so called 'democrats' who willingly help to pillage and to destroy the country.Will Obama provoke WWIII to steal Trump election and to punish Putin for fighting ISIS?

Rescue helicopters have discovered debris in the Black Sea from a Russian military transport plane which went off radar en route to Syria. Most of the passengers on the Tu-154 were members of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir.
According to preliminary reports, the Tupolev transport plane had 92 people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. It went missing over the Black Sea at 2:40 GMT shortly after refueling at an airport near Sochi.

Most of the passengers on board were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. They were travelling from Moscow to the Russian military base Khmeimim near Latakia, Syria to take part in a Christmas celebration with troops deployed there. The head of the choir, conductor and composer Valery Khalilov, is among the 65 members of the ensemble presumed dead in the accident.

Crews from Channel One Russia, NTV, and Zvezda (the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry), each with three members, were on board as well, the outlets confirmed.

The passenger list released by the defense ministry also includes Elizaveta Glinka, a prominent charity activist and humanitarian worker. She is best known by her blogger nickname “Doctor Liza.” Some reports initially said she may have deplaned in Sochi, but the Presidential Council for Human Rights confirmed that she was on board.

Glinka was best known for aiding children with serious conditions like cancer, homeless people, and other vulnerable individuals. In the past few years, she organized humanitarian missions to conflict zones, including eastern Ukraine and Syria. For her efforts, she was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, the fifth highest state award in Russia.

92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

RIP
All these bad news...
In the last two weeks there were so many acts of terrorism and violence...

All of them were caused either by Muslims or by our Muslim 'President'.

 

[Baron]

Obama stroke again? First Russian Ambassador, now a plane with the Military Choir Number 1 as Christmas Gift to Russian people. Accident?A revenge for Syria?It is well-known that since Yeltsin time all Russian technical facilities are full of the Fifth column - so called 'democrats' who willingly help to pillage and to destroy the country.Will Obama provoke WWIII to steal Trump election and to punish Putin for fighting ISIS?

Rescue helicopters have discovered debris in the Black Sea from a Russian military transport plane which went off radar en route to Syria. Most of the passengers on the Tu-154 were members of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir.
According to preliminary reports, the Tupolev transport plane had 92 people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. It went missing over the Black Sea at 2:40 GMT shortly after refueling at an airport near Sochi.

Most of the passengers on board were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. They were travelling from Moscow to the Russian military base Khmeimim near Latakia, Syria to take part in a Christmas celebration with troops deployed there. The head of the choir, conductor and composer Valery Khalilov, is among the 65 members of the ensemble presumed dead in the accident.

Crews from Channel One Russia, NTV, and Zvezda (the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry), each with three members, were on board as well, the outlets confirmed.

The passenger list released by the defense ministry also includes Elizaveta Glinka, a prominent charity activist and humanitarian worker. She is best known by her blogger nickname “Doctor Liza.” Some reports initially said she may have deplaned in Sochi, but the Presidential Council for Human Rights confirmed that she was on board.

Glinka was best known for aiding children with serious conditions like cancer, homeless people, and other vulnerable individuals. In the past few years, she organized humanitarian missions to conflict zones, including eastern Ukraine and Syria. For her efforts, she was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, the fifth highest state award in Russia.

92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

Oh, shut up.

92 people are dead.

Can we just mourn them without you spewing your bizarre conspiracy theories?

RIP

When Muslims or Liberals kill, robe or attack they cry out and curse 'conspiracy theories' or fake news.

 

[esthermoon]

Obama stroke again? First Russian Ambassador, now a plane with the Military Choir Number 1 as Christmas Gift to Russian people. Accident?A revenge for Syria?It is well-known that since Yeltsin time all Russian technical facilities are full of the Fifth column - so called 'democrats' who willingly help to pillage and to destroy the country.Will Obama provoke WWIII to steal Trump election and to punish Putin for fighting ISIS?

Rescue helicopters have discovered debris in the Black Sea from a Russian military transport plane which went off radar en route to Syria. Most of the passengers on the Tu-154 were members of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir.
According to preliminary reports, the Tupolev transport plane had 92 people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. It went missing over the Black Sea at 2:40 GMT shortly after refueling at an airport near Sochi.

Most of the passengers on board were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. They were travelling from Moscow to the Russian military base Khmeimim near Latakia, Syria to take part in a Christmas celebration with troops deployed there. The head of the choir, conductor and composer Valery Khalilov, is among the 65 members of the ensemble presumed dead in the accident.

Crews from Channel One Russia, NTV, and Zvezda (the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry), each with three members, were on board as well, the outlets confirmed.

The passenger list released by the defense ministry also includes Elizaveta Glinka, a prominent charity activist and humanitarian worker. She is best known by her blogger nickname “Doctor Liza.” Some reports initially said she may have deplaned in Sochi, but the Presidential Council for Human Rights confirmed that she was on board.

Glinka was best known for aiding children with serious conditions like cancer, homeless people, and other vulnerable individuals. In the past few years, she organized humanitarian missions to conflict zones, including eastern Ukraine and Syria. For her efforts, she was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, the fifth highest state award in Russia.

92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

RIP
All these bad news...
In the last two weeks there were so many acts of terrorism and violence...

All of them were caused either by Muslims or by our Muslim 'President'.

Maybe yes maybe not.
It's possible that nobody won't know the truth in the near future...

 

[Lewdog]

Yep, fake news to take away all the press from what they did in the U.S. elections.

 

[Baron]

Obama stroke again? First Russian Ambassador, now a plane with the Military Choir Number 1 as Christmas Gift to Russian people. Accident?A revenge for Syria?It is well-known that since Yeltsin time all Russian technical facilities are full of the Fifth column - so called 'democrats' who willingly help to pillage and to destroy the country.Will Obama provoke WWIII to steal Trump election and to punish Putin for fighting ISIS?

Rescue helicopters have discovered debris in the Black Sea from a Russian military transport plane which went off radar en route to Syria. Most of the passengers on the Tu-154 were members of the famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir.
According to preliminary reports, the Tupolev transport plane had 92 people on board, including 84 passengers and eight crew members. It went missing over the Black Sea at 2:40 GMT shortly after refueling at an airport near Sochi.

Most of the passengers on board were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, the official choir of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said. They were travelling from Moscow to the Russian military base Khmeimim near Latakia, Syria to take part in a Christmas celebration with troops deployed there. The head of the choir, conductor and composer Valery Khalilov, is among the 65 members of the ensemble presumed dead in the accident.

Crews from Channel One Russia, NTV, and Zvezda (the official media outlet of the Russian Defense Ministry), each with three members, were on board as well, the outlets confirmed.

The passenger list released by the defense ministry also includes Elizaveta Glinka, a prominent charity activist and humanitarian worker. She is best known by her blogger nickname “Doctor Liza.” Some reports initially said she may have deplaned in Sochi, but the Presidential Council for Human Rights confirmed that she was on board.

Glinka was best known for aiding children with serious conditions like cancer, homeless people, and other vulnerable individuals. In the past few years, she organized humanitarian missions to conflict zones, including eastern Ukraine and Syria. For her efforts, she was awarded the Order of Friendship in 2012, the fifth highest state award in Russia.

92 feared dead as Russian plane with military band crashes en route to Syria

RIP
All these bad news...
In the last two weeks there were so many acts of terrorism and violence...

All of them were caused either by Muslims or by our Muslim 'President'.

Maybe yes maybe not.
It's possible that nobody won't know the truth in the near future...

It is difficult to believe in an 'accident'

 

[Iceweasel]

Horrible news. Destroyed Christmas for a whole bunch of people.

 

[waltky]

Russia finds black box from military plane crashed in the Black Sea: TASS...

Russia finds first black box from Black Sea crash jet
December 27, 2016 - Russia has found the first flight recorder from a military plane that crashed into the Black Sea killing all 92 on board, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, amid unconfirmed reports that authorities had grounded all aircraft of the same type.

The recorder, one of several reported to be on board, contains information that could help investigators identify the cause of Sunday's crash, which killed dozens of Red Army Choir singers and dancers en route to Syria to entertain Russian troops in the run-up to the New Year. Investigators have so far said that pilot error or a technical fault, rather than terrorism, are most likely to have caused the Defence Ministry Tupolev-154 to crash into the sea.

The first black box, which was founded by a remote-controlled underwater vehicle at a depth of around 55ft (17 meters) and 1 mile (1,600 meters) from the resort of Sochi, will be sent to a Defence Ministry facility in Moscow for analysis. "During the night during the (search operation) ... a further five fragments of the plane were found," the ministry said in a statement. They included pieces of fuselage and engine fragments.

Flowers in memory of passengers and crew members of Russian military Tu-154, which crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, are placed at an embankment in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi​

The Interfax news agency cited an unnamed source as saying Russia had grounded all TU-154 planes until the cause of Sunday's crash became clear. There was no official confirmation of that. The Defence Ministry says the downed jet, a Soviet-era plane built in 1983, had last been serviced in September and underwent more major repairs in December 2014. Russian pilots say the TU-154 has a decent safety record, though major Russian commercial airlines have long since replaced it with Western-built planes.

The last big TU-154 crash was in 2010 when a Polish jet carrying then-president Lech Kaczynski and much of Poland's political elite went down in western Russia killing everyone on board. The Interfax news agency, citing a law enforcement source, said a second flight recorder had also been found in the wreckage of Sunday's crash, but not yet raised to the surface. The Defence Ministry said that search and rescue teams have so far recovered 12 bodies and 156 body fragments.

Russia finds first black box from Black Sea crash jet

 

[waltky]

Mebbe it hit a flock of birds after takeoff...

Penetration of objects in engine among key possible causes of Tu-154 plane
Tuesday 27th December, 2016 - One of the priority causes of the Tu-154 plane crash now is the penetration of foreign objects in the engine, a law enforcement source told TASS on Dec. 27.

'One of the key versions of the crash at the moment is the penetration of foreign objects in the engine,' the source said, adding that other possible causes such as pilot error and technical malfunction were also being considered.

Search and recovery of crashed Russian TU-154​

Russia's Federal Security Service said on Dec. 26 that investigators were considering four main possible causes of the crash - penetration of foreign objects in the engine, substandard fuel that caused the loss of thrust, pilot error and technical malfunction of the plane.

According to the FSB's latest conclusions, no evidence has been found linking the crash to terrorism. A Tu-154 plane from Russia's Defense Ministry crashed in the early morning hours of Dec. 25 shortly after taking off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi. There were 92 people on board the aircraft, including eight crew members and 84 passengers that lost their lives in the plane disaster.

Penetration of objects in engine among key possible causes of Tu-154 plane

See also:

Russia to Rebuild Red Army Choir: Defense Minister
Dec 27, 2016 - Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said he will aim to quickly restore the country's signature Red Army Choir.

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday he will aim to quickly restore the country's signature Red Army Choir, which lost most of its singers in the weekend's military plane crash. Sixty-four members, including the conductor Valery Khalilov and most singers of the Alexandrov Ensemble, also known as the Red Army Choir internationally, died when their Syria-bound plane went down in the Black Sea near the resort city of Sochi. Shoigu said that he will do what is necessary "so that we can restore the troupe in the nearest future, as much as we could, hold auditions, pick the best people, so that they continue the traditions that the Alexandrov Ensemble is known for."

A portrait of Valery Khalilov, chief conductor and artistic director of the Red Army Choir, sits next to candles n Moscow​

To entice the best musical talent to join the army's official choir, Shoigu said he will soon order the allocation of 70 flats to the ensemble, which would be offered to new members. He added that a military music school will be named after conductor Khalilov, calling him a "legend" who revived the army's orchestral traditions. At a defence ministry meeting, Shoigu held a minute of silence in memory of the victims, who were en route to Russia's military base in Syria to entertain troops during New Year's celebrations. The Alexandrov Ensemble has about 200 singers, dancers and musicians, most of whom are civilian musical professionals who also work in other choirs, ensembles and musical theatres.

A Soviet symbol, it was first established in 1928 and was one of the rare groups that performed abroad during the Cold War. It has toured often and regularly worked with foreign musicians while also serving its propaganda purpose, with one of its recent hits "Polite People" glorifying the special forces officers who oversaw the annexation of Crimea. Its repertoire was once primarily Russian folk songs and famous wartime tunes, though in recent years the programme has included covers of the Beatles and Adele, in line with the overall modernisation of the military's image.

Russia to Rebuild Red Army Choir: Defense Minister | Military.com

 

[waltky]

Somebody forgot to trim the wing flaps...

Russia plane crash: Flight recorder 'reveals faulty wing flaps to blame'
Wed, 28 Dec 2016 - Faulty wing flaps were to blame for Sunday's Russian airliner crash, Russian media reports say.

The flaps, panels on the wings that help lift an aircraft, were not moving together, a source close to the probe told the private Interfax news agency. The pro-Kremlin Life news website says this led the pilots to lose control as the plane was at a "critical angle". It also quoted the crew's last words, including: "The flaps, hell... !" The ageing Tu-154 airliner came down off the Russian coast with the loss of all 92 passengers and crew. On board were 64 members of the famed Alexandrov military music ensemble, as well as one of Russia's best-known humanitarian figures, Yelizaveta Glinka.

The plane was heading to Russia's air force base in Syria where the choir was due to perform at a New Year's concert. The latest findings allegedly come from a cockpit conversation stored on the flight's main "black box" data recorder, which was found underwater about a mile from the shore on Tuesday. An earlier audio recording, played on Russian media, said to be of the final conversation between air traffic controllers and the plane's crew, revealed no sign of difficulties. But Life, a new site which is close to the Russian security agencies, issued a transcript of the cockpit recording taken from the "black box", indicating the two pilots were taken by surprise.

Pilots' last words:

"Speed 300 (inaudible)."
"(Inaudible)."
"I've pulled in the landing gear, commander."
"(Inaudible)."
"Oh bloody hell!"

Piercing alarm sounds

"The flaps, hell, what a…!"
"The altimeter [altitude meter]!"
"We're in… (inaudible)."

Alarm sounds about dangerous proximity to the ground

"(Inaudible)."
"Commander we're falling!"

The plane crashed soon after take-off from an airport near the city of Sochi, where it had landed for refuelling. It disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off from Adler airport at 05:23 (02:23 GMT) on Sunday. A second flight recorder has been found in a good condition and was raised from the seabed on Wednesday, the defence ministry said. According to the authorities, so far 15 bodies have been recovered from the crash site. The Tupolev airliner involved in the crash was an old model no longer flown by airlines in Russia but still used by the military. It was 33 years old. The investigators have so far ruled out terrorism as a possibility, instead concentrating on human error, a technical fault or a combination of factors as being responsible.

Tupolev-154: Russian workhorse

 

[waltky]

Sounds like somebody monkeyed with the wing flaps...

Russian plane crash probe rules out explosion
Dec 29,`16 -- Flight recorders revealed no evidence of an explosion on board a Russian plane that crashed into the Black Sea, killing all 92 on board, but investigators haven't ruled out foul play, a military official said Thursday.

Russian air force Lt. Gen. Sergei Bainetov, who heads the Defense Ministry commission conducting the crash probe, said that a cockpit conversation recorder contained the captain's words that indicated a "special situation" that began unfolding on board the plane. Bainetov wouldn't elaborate on what may have led to the crash, but noted that it likely had been caused by several factors. The Tu-154 of the Russian Defense Ministry crashed into the sea early Sunday, moments after taking off in good weather from the city of Sochi. It was carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, widely known as the Red Army Choir, to a New Year's concert at a Russian military base in Syria.

Bainetov said that the plane crashed 70 seconds after takeoff from an altitude of 250 meters (820 feet) while it was traveling at a speed of 360-370 kilometers per hour (224-230 miles per hour). "After deciphering the first flight recorder we have made a conclusion that there was no explosion on board," Bainetov said at a news conference. But asked if that means that investigators have ruled out a terror attack, Bainetov said "we aren't ruling out that version yet." "A terror attack doesn't always involve an explosion," he said. "Along with an explosion on board, there could have been some mechanical impact." He wouldn't offer any details, saying that Russian law-enforcement agencies are working on the case.

Flowers, candles and portraits are placed at a pier in honour of the victims of the military plane crash, in Sochi, Russia, in Sochi, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. All 84 passengers and eight crew members on the Russian military's Tu-154 plane are believed to have died Sunday morning when it crashed two minutes after taking off from the southern Russian city of Sochi​

Bainetov's words appeared to contradict a previous statement from Russia's top domestic security and counter-terrorism agency, the FSB, which has said it found "no indications or facts pointing at the possibility of a terror attack or an act of sabotage." It said investigators were looking into whether the crash might have been caused by bad fuel, pilot error, equipment failure or objects stuck in the engines. Bainetov noted that "according to a preliminary assessment of information from the flight parameter recorder there had been no obvious equipment failures." Investigators also have taken samples from a fuel tank used to fill the plane, which flew from Moscow's Chkalovsky military airport and stopped in Sochi for refueling.

In an apparent attempt to downplay Bainetov's statement, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov emphasized that "the version of a terror attack isn't being considered as the main version." Sokolov said search teams have completed the bulk of efforts to recover bodies and debris from the crash site. He said 19 bodies and more than 230 body fragments have been recovered, adding that 13 big fragments of the plane and about 2,000 smaller fragments have been pulled from the seabed. Bainetov said that Syria-bound planes normally stop for refueling at the North Caucasus military air base in Mozdok, but the plane that crashed had been diverted to Sochi because of bad weather in Mozdok. Flights of the military's Tu-154s have been suspended during the investigation.

MORE News from The Associated Press

See also:

What we know about Russia jet crash
Thu, 29 Dec 2016 - Details are emerging of the air disaster in the Black Sea involving a famous Russian military choir.

An ageing Tu-154 airliner came down off the Russian coast with the loss of all 92 passengers and crew. This was no ordinary flight. The plane belonged to the Russian defence ministry and was en route from Moscow to Syria, where the Alexandrov Ensemble was due to perform for soldiers stationed overseas. As the official investigation gets under way and the flight recorders are analysed, here are some of the facts and theories.

What happened?

At 05:23 (02:23 GMT) on Sunday, 25 December, the jet took off in good weather from Adler airport near the city of Sochi, where it had been refuelling, for the next leg of its flight to Latakia in western Syria. Two minutes into the flight the plane disappeared from radar. A recording of the final conversation between air traffic controllers and the pilot revealed no difficulties.

But Russian media have reported a cockpit conversation between the two pilots, apparently transcribed from one of the flight recorders, which indicates they were taken by surprise when an alarm began to sound. Wreckage was found about 1.5km (about one mile) from the shore. Fragments of the plane were found across a radius of about 500m (1,640ft), the defence ministry said, after a vast search operation involving a submarine, 45 other vessels, 12 planes, 10 helicopters, three drones and more than 3,500 personnel.

Who was on the plane?