The cause of the plane crash on October 31. Lost flight: what is known about the causes of the A321 crash a year later
Exactly four years ago, an Airbus A320 plane crashed over the Sinai Peninsula, which was carrying Russian tourists from Egypt to their homeland. All passengers and crew members died before reaching home. Among the dead were 25 children, including a small resident of Gatchina Darina Gromova, which the Russians called the Main Passenger. Authorities in several countries are still investigating the causes of the plane crash. In terms of the number of victims, the disaster is the largest in Russian aviation. But nothing can bring back innocent people. the site remembers the victims of the disaster and the chronology of events over the Sinai Peninsula
Developments
Airplane Russian airline Kogalymavia flew to Sharm el-Sheikh on the eve of the tragedy. On October 30, he performed two passenger flights on the route Sharm el-Sheikh - Samara - Sharm el-Sheikh. The commander of the aircraft, Dmitry Zhigalkovich, and co-pilot Yuri Yushko later said that the flight took place as usual, and no problems arose in the air. On October 31, the airliner came under the control of 48-year-old commander Valery Nemov and 45-year-old co-pilot Sergei Trukhachev. Nemov had more than 12 thousand hours of flight practice under his belt, almost 4 thousand of which were at the controls of an Airbus A321. The plane passed technical control at Sharm el-Sheikh airport and took off safely.
Photo: flight path of flight 7K-9268 / flightradar24.com
Charter flight 7K-9268 route Sharm el-Sheikh - St. Petersburg was supposed to arrive in the Northern capital at 12:10, a little more than five hours into the flight. At 06:50 Moscow time, the plane took off from the Egyptian airport and headed along the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. After 12 minutes, the aircraft turned left on a course of 340° to cross the Sinai Peninsula. When the board rose to a height of 9411 meters, its speed began to drop sharply. According to the website Flightradar24, at 06:13 the Airbus A320 began to lose altitude at a speed of 30 m/s. At approximately 07:14, flight 7K-9268 crashed in the central part of the Sinai Peninsula. The wreckage of the plane was scattered over a radius of 13 km. The total search area for the bodies of the dead and the remains of the airliner was 30 km. All 224 passengers died.
The first reports about the disappearance of the airliner from radars appeared in the Russian media at about 10:20 Moscow time. Initially it was reported that communication was interrupted near the Cypriot city of Larnaca. International publications Reuters and Sky News, citing their own sources, reported that the flight crashed. At this time, relatives of passengers begin to be notified about the loss of the airliner. People, hoping for a miracle, go to Pulkovo to meet a delayed flight. Charter 7K-9268 was still listed on the information board, which reported a ten minute delay.
“I was just at the airport that day and found people waiting for the plane. I was flying to study then, and I had problems getting my luggage. I arrived, but that flight did not. I remember the number of this plane on the board with the red inscription “detained”. I had just left the airport when literally 15 minutes later the crash was announced. A few hours later, photographs from the airport began to appear online. I look, and there are all these people, many of whom I saw at the entrance, or at Starbucks, or somewhere else. People who came to wait for their relatives"
Soon the hopes of the relatives were dashed: Egyptian authorities reported that the wreckage of the plane was found 50 km from Nehel, in the province of North Sinai. The airport management, together with the Federal Air Transport Agency, set up mobile medical headquarters. People were provided with psychological assistance. The headquarters began work emergency situations. Rescuers constantly informed relatives. But the latter were already beginning to understand that their relatives could no longer be returned.
Photo: wreckage of flight 7K-9268 / life.ru Investigation
When information about the crash was confirmed, the Ministry of Emergency Situations sent five special aircraft to Egypt to deliver the bodies of the victims to their homeland. The black boxes, which were practically undamaged, were found on the day of the tragedy. The decryption was carried out by the Egyptian side. Representatives from six countries took part in the investigation: Russia, Egypt, the USA, Germany, France and Ireland. The commission also included consultants from Airbus.
The wreckage found 13 km from the crash site gave rise to claims that the plane was destroyed in the air. In this regard, versions began to appear about a possible explosion of the plane. Moreover, the possibility of both a bomb explosion in the cabin and a missile strike from the ground could not be ruled out. However, Egypt called any versions premature and unsupported by facts. On November 16, the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, said that the plane exploded as a result of a terrorist attack. On the bodies of the passengers, security forces found remains of explosives not produced in Russia. The Egyptian authorities assured that they would take the FSB study into account, but did not draw any conclusions. One of the groups controlled by ISIS (an organization banned in Russia) took responsibility for the terrorist attack. An examination of the wreckage of the airliner showed that the bomb exploded within rows 30-31. Presumably it was laid at site 31A. However, in September 2016, experts said that the bomb was hidden in the tail of the plane among baby strollers.
Photo: wreckage of flight 7K9268 / vebus.ru Until now, the authorities of the African country have not opened a case under the article “Terrorism”. In July 2017, a source close to Russian-Egyptian negotiations on aviation security told RIA-Novosti that Egypt does not want to investigate the case under the article “Terrorism” in order not to pay compensation to the relatives of the victims. In this case, it will become clear that the disaster occurred due to shortcomings of the local security services.
Victims
224 people died from the explosion, burns and falling from a great height. On board were mainly Russian citizens - 219 people. Also, four citizens of Ukraine and one citizen of Belarus were flying back from vacation. The oldest victim was 77 years old, the youngest was only 10 months old. 48 people who did not return home were from the Leningrad region. On November 1, 2015, mourning was declared in Russia, which lasted three days. In the Leningrad region, all entertainment events have been canceled until November 4.
Among the dead were children, grandchildren, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Many of the passengers posted photos online before the flight. Some flew to Egypt with their family, some to celebrate their wedding anniversary, and some to propose to their girlfriend. There were also those who went on vacation abroad for the first time. But no one was destined to return to their home.
The most famous publication is a photograph of the daughter of the Gromov couple. Little Darina flew with her parents to warm Egypt for the first time. The girl’s mother Tatyana Gromova captioned the photo “ Main passenger" Under this name, the recording spread throughout the world and became a symbol of the tragedy. Darina was the smallest passenger on the plane. Her body was found 35 km from the crash site.
Spouses Olga and Yuri Shein flew to Egypt to celebrate ten years of marriage. They took three children with them: 11-year-old Zhenya, 10-year-old Lena and 3-year-old Nastya. A few minutes before landing, Olga posted a photo of her husband and her youngest daughter on her VKontakte page. The caption to the photo reads: "We're flying home." Sheina will never see her home.
Photo: personal archive of Olga Sheina Armen Vishnev flew to Egypt to celebrate his birthday. A few days before the tragedy, on October 26, he turned 27 years old. He worked in the Federal Customs Service near St. Petersburg, in Pushkin. Armen's mother told reporters that in one of his last messages he urged her not to get bored. Armen promised to bring a souvenir with him.
Volkhov resident Dmitry Bogdanov took his children, 10-year-old Anton, 22-year-old Nastya and 24-year-old Lera, to the sea for a vacation. The mother of a large family died of cancer several years earlier. The children wrote on their pages on the social network “Goodbye, Russia!”, “Goodbye, cold Russia” and “Rainy St. Petersburg, good-bye.” They will never see their homeland again.
The young couple Alexandra Chernovaya and Evgeny Yavsin went on their first joint trip abroad. A surprise awaited Alexandra on vacation: Evgeniy specifically saved money for trips to propose to his beloved at sea.
Photo: personal archive of Alexandra Chernova Evgenia Murashova from Pskov died in the disaster. She flew to Egypt with her mother Irina Pikaleva. Evgenia has an 8-year-old daughter at home. A few days before her tragic death, she posted an audio recording on her page entitled “I know I won’t come back.”
Photo: screenshot from Ekaterina Murashova’s page Along with all these innocent people, hundreds of others died. Hundreds, if not thousands, of relatives were left with broken hearts. Many of them still have not been able to identify their loved ones, which means they keep a grain of hope in their hearts. The unidentified remains of victims of the Sinai disaster were buried in a mass grave at one of the memorial cemeteries in St. Petersburg.
Memory
On Rumbolova Mountain in Vsevolozhsk on the second anniversary of the “Garden of Memory” tragedy. The project was financed from the regional budget and the budget of Vsevolozhsk. The names of all the dead passengers of flight 7K-9268 are immortalized on a granite slab. Also on this day, all the bells of the churches of St. Petersburg will strike 224 times, in honor of each person who died.
Photo: “Memory Garden” On October 28, the monument “Folded Wings” was unveiled in St. Petersburg. The memorial was erected at the burial site of unidentified Airbus passengers. 25 white balloons were launched into the sky, symbolizing the children who died in the disaster.
Photo: “Folded Wings” / Administration of St. Petersburg Every year, events in memory of the victims of the Sinai disaster are held throughout the country.
After the tragedy, activists created the Flight 9268 charitable foundation. The fund is supported by the administration Leningrad region, the administration of St. Petersburg, the Russian Union of Rescuers and the Kuznetsov Guild. In February 2016, with the assistance of the foundation, more than 80% of the families of relatives of the victims wrote in support of the idea of building a temple and monument in memory of the dead passengers and crew of flight 9268. The Church of the Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica will be built in the Baltic Pearl multifunctional complex.
Photo: Draft design of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica in the Baltic Pearl multifunctional complex / flight9268.ru On the morning of October 31, 2015, an A-321 plane en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg crashed on the Sinai Peninsula.
The worst plane crash in recent years. The airliner, owned by the Kogalymavia company, was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to St. Petersburg. It crashed about 30 minutes after it took off.
How many people were on board the plane
There were 224 people on board at the time of the tragedy. Among them were seven members of the aircraft crew, as well as 29 children. Almost all of the dead are Russians.
How many children died?
The Airbus A321 crash killed 29 children.
Total number of victims in the plane crash in Egypt
All passengers and crew members, 224 people, died in the plane crash. The bodies of the victims were delivered to St. Petersburg; they will be sent to the city crematorium for the identification procedure.
Cause of plane crash: black boxes (video)
The decryption of the black boxes will be carried out in Egypt. The exact cause of the plane crash will be established only after a full examination of the flight recorder data.
The reasons for the plane crash in Egypt were a terrorist attack. Expert version (Video)
Relatives of the victims in the program on NTV (video)
Relatives of the victims, who lost several loved ones at once, came to the NTV program.
List of dead in Egypt 10/31/2015
The crew of the Airbus A321 aircraft of the KagalymAvia airline 7K9268:
1. Nemov Valery Yuryevich - PIC
2. Trukhachev Sergey Stanislavovich - 2nd pilot
3. Martsevich Valentina Petrovna - senior. flight attendant
4. Belomestnov Andrey Vitalievich - flight attendant
5. Olaru Irina Dmitrievna - flight attendant
6. Sviridov Stanislav Vasilievich - flight attendant
7. Filimonov Alexey Andreevich - flight attendant
List of passengers on the Airbus A321 aircraft of the KagalymAvia airline 7K9268:
Republic of Karelia
1. Semakov* Alexey Andreevich 10/08/1979
2. Semakova Oksana Aleksandrovna 09/23/1975
Arhangelsk region
3. Chernova Alexandra Alekseevna 03/02/1996
Leningrad region
4. Gromov Alexey Mikhailovich 06/01/1988
5. Gromova Tatyana Sergeevna 12/09/1988
6. Gromova Darina Alekseevna 12/26/2014
7. Bogdanov Dmitry Evgenievich 01/27/1969
8. Bogdanov Anton Dmitrievich 10/28/2005
9. Bogdanova Anastasia Dmitrievna 10/04/1993
10. Ivleva Maria Romanova 09/07/2000
11. Grechkina Tatyana Ivanovna 01/20/1952
12. Radlevich Alla Ivanovna 07/02/1959
13. Radlevich Alexander Mikhailovich 01/04/1956
14. Sayapina Natalya Vladimirovna 10/24/1975
15. Sayapin Alexey Viktorovich 09/23/1970
16. Laisheva Nadezhda Aleksandrovna 01/17/1991
17. Kuznetsova Natalya Vladimirovna 02/05/1986
18. Pavlova Irina Gennadievna 09/23/1963
19. Mikhailyukova Valentina Stepanovna 03/18/1955
20. Kharitonov Leonid Nikolaevich 04/05/1971
21. Kiselev Anatoly Sergeevich 08/21/1983
22. Khusainova Elena Ruslanovna 01/02/1967
23. Kharitonova Oksana Alekseevna 08/17/1971
24. Kharitonova Anastasia Leonidovna 05.11.2001
25. Sergeeva Elena Vladimirovna 05/29/1953
26. Shurko Natalya Viktorovna 08/29/1971
27. Smirnov Yuri Nikolaevich 09/12/1960
28. Simanova Margarita Arkadyevna 04/26/1962
29. Shulginova Olga Viktorovna 10/13/1980
30. Smirnova Irina Leonidovna 04/30/1966
31. Tarasova Larisa Fedorovna 10/23/1954
32. Tarasov Alexander Petrovich 07/19/1953
33. Zueva Marina Sergeevna 02/12/1990
34. Vinogradskaya Evgenia Valerievna 11/26/1986
35. Fedorova Tatyana Aleksandrovna 12/08/1979
36. Dunaeva Nina Nikolaevna 06/08/1953
37. Kim Lyudmila Viktorovna 07/04/1975
38. Alexandrov Alexander Sergeevich 07/11/1976
39. Bashakova Nadezhda Aleksandrovna 11/15/1937
40. Bespalova Galina Nikolaevna 09/16/1949
41. Podlevskikh Maria Valentinovna 03/20/1975
42. Kalinina Olga Viktorovna 12/10/1973
43. Ivleva Marina Aleksandrovna 01/10/1971
44. Semenov Alexander Petrovich 05/10/1966
45. Zorkina Anna Valerievna 03/10/1984
46. Zorkina Anna Viktorovna 08/15/1986
Murmansk region
47. Kozlova Lyubov Vladimirovna 07/01/1963
Pskov region
48. Tikhomirov Alexey Nikolaevich 05/22/1981
49. Melnikova Elena Mikhailovna 10/27/1962
50. Pikaleva Irina Georgievna 03/15/1959
51. Vitalieva Alisa Denisovna 02/28/2001
52. Vitaleva Irina Sergeevna 02/05/1978
53. Kozhemyakova Ekaterina Nikolaevna 08/19/1982
54. Kopylov Alexander Mikhailovich
55. Gorbatenko Andrey Yurievich 07/14/1980
56. Murashova Ekaterina Sergeevna 05.11.1983
Novgorod region
57. Smolenkova Tatyana Vladislavovna 04/27/1952
58. Ishchenko Irina Nikolaevna 01/31/1953
59. Galanova Elena Evgenievna 10/23/1972
60. Rostenko Natalya Nikolaevna 01/08/1959
61. Vasilyeva Marina Nikolaevna 09/01/1958
62. Gomechko Lyudmila Nikolaevna 05/25/1958
63. Lushchenko Nina Vasilievna 07/08/1955
64. Mikhailov Igor Gennadievich 08/26/1978
65. Nikolaeva Ekaterina Ivanovna 03/21/1973
66. Yasmenko Tatyana Ivanovna 07/15/1983
67. Osipov Ilya Vladimirovich 02/04/1980
68. Osipov Zakhar Ilyich 05/06/2007
69. Mozgina Lyubov Nikolaevna 12/22/1975
70. Mozgina Alisa Maksimovna 05/14/2014
71. Zamolotova Galina Nikolaevna 01/09/1953
Saint Petersburg
72. Alekseev Alexey Sergeevich 12/07/1983
73. Gerasina Vera Alekseevna 09/16/2009
74. Girin Dmitry Vladimirovich 09/23/1983
75. Glidyaev Denis Nikolaevich 01/17/1982
76. Golenkov Vladimir Lvovich 03/26/1967
77. Kalinina Evgenia Ivanovna 05/05/1951
78. Yatskova Daria Alexandrovna 09/23/1995
79. Yavsin Evgeniy Valerievich 03/02/1994
80. Bogdanova Valeria Sergeevna 11/16/1990
81. Brulo Evgeniy Alexandrovich 11/21/1966
82. Golenkova Diana Eminovna 09/02/2011
83. Golenkova Victoria Yurievna 07/14/1970
84. Golubeva Nina Valerievna 01/21/1972
85. Dementich Tatyana Viktorovna 05/07/1951
86. Elena Borisovna Dudchenko 11/28/1968
87. Korenko Lyudmila Alekseevna 04/07/1954
88. Kondrashkova Marina Vladimirovna 11/12/1990
89. Gordin Leonid Valerievich 11/27/1986
90. Grigorieva Daria Yuryevna 12/29/1991
91. Grigorieva Ekaterina Sergeevna 07/02/2003
92. Vetlugina Natalya Mikhailovna 04/08/1979
93. Fedorov Fedor Dmitrievich 02/17/2010
94. Dushechkina Valeria Andreevna 05/10/2005
95. Krasnova Yulia Sergeevna 06/15/1992
96. Ogorodova Ksenia Aleksandrovna 02/09/1982
97. Nayok Maxim Sergeevich 04/08/1988
98. Danilenko Nadezhda Eduardovna 04/18/1990
99. Fedorova Elena Vladimirovna 01/07/1975
100. Orleanskaya Irina Andreevna 01/20/1988
101. Orleansky Dmitry Sergeevich 11/27/1984
102. Rodina Elena Nikolaevna 11/01/1980
103. Sagdatullina Natalia Anatolyevna 03/05/1964
104. Sakerina Vlada Andreevna 09/11/1992
105. Sakerin Ilya Alexandrovich 05/31/1990
106. Salakhbekov Daniyal Magomednabievich 05/16/2001
107. Salakhbekova Diana Magomednabievna 03/31/2006
108. Movchanov Vladislav Igorevich 07/29/1984
109. Miller Timur Maratovich 03/22/1982
110. Maksimova Maria Vladimirovna 01/01/1974
111. Maksimov Alexander Dmitrievich 10/07/2000
112. Vera Ivanovna Lapshina 09/01/1946
113. Kurkaedova Irina Vyacheslavovna 10/27/1955
114. Krylova Svetlana Viktorovna 05/06/1985
115. Krotov Alexander Alekseevich 04/12/1979
116. Osipova Natalya Anatolyevna 02/21/1962
117. Panina* Alexandra Petrovna 03/30/1990
118. Panina Tatyana Leonidovna 12/30/1959
119. Pavlova Olga Alexandrovna 09/24/1973
120. Kovaleva Irina Aleksandrovna 09/02/1967
121. Kononirova Elena Valerievna 01/16/1985
122. Mokievskaya Tatyana Vasilievna 05/23/1988
123. Moiseeva Elena Vladimirovna 04/18/1976
124. Moiseeva Alena Andreevna 08/22/2010
125. Ponomareva Nadezhda Vladimirovna 01/17/1974
126. Gingerbread Evgeniy Andreevich 02/03/2004
127. Kurbatova Tatyana Vladimirovna 08/29/1967
128. Kulikova Yulia Vitalievna 01/16/1990
129. Pukhkaeva Elena Anatolyevna 04/26/1963
130. Krylova Kristina Mikhailovna 11/18/2005
131. Krylov Mikhail Yurievich 04.01. 1982
132. Kochkin Anton Yurievich 01/29/1967
133. Khmelevsky Dmitry Valerievich 07/10/1989
134. Savelyev Pavel Vladimirovich 07/06/1975
135. Yavsina Elizaveta Aleksandrovna 08/12/1970
136. Illarionova Alexandra Ivanovna 08/14/1987
137. Schiller Daria Viktorovna 07/23/1983
138. Shikhina Ekaterina Valerievna 03/31/1990
139. Sheina Olga Aleksandrovna 05/10/1985
140. Sheina Anastasia Yurievna 03/07/2012
141. Shein Yuri Vyacheslavovich 04/01/1977
142. Sharova Irina Mikhailovna 07/22/1977
143. Sergeeva Sofia Petrovna 03/14/1953
144. Sergeev Gennady Alekseevich 03.11.1955
145. Sergeev Alexey Vladimirovich 03/19/1951
146. Timoshenko Andrey Nikolaevich 05/20/1975
147. Ivanova Iraida Aleksandrovna 05/22/1938
148. Ivanyuk Galina Vladimirovna 12/28/1957
149. Voskresenskaya* Elvira Aleksandrovna 02/08/1987
150. Gavrikov Alexander Viktorovich 01/04/1980
151. Volzhenkova Anna Vladimirovna 05/02/1987
152. Vinnik Alexander Olegovich 02/06/2012
153. Skorodumova Lyudmila Yuryevna 09/19/1953
154. Skorodumov Viktor Alexandrovich 08/11/1951
155. Shulginov Kirill Evgenievich 05/04/2012
156. Shulginov Evgeny Vladimirovich 02/08/1979
157. Vinnik Dmitry Olegovich 09/06/2013
158. Smirnova Vera Vasilievna 09/16/1941
159. Vinnik Mariana
160. Terekhina Galina Fedorovna 11/14/1959
161. Zhimalenkov Miron Sergeevich 07/27/2013
162. Zhimalenkova Elena Vladimirovna 02/16/1986
163. Tishinskaya Anna Andreevna 10/02/1988
164. Solovyova Tatyana Mikhailovna 06/10/1957
165. Sologubova Evgenia Aleksandrovna 01/12/1990
166. Sokolova Irina Sergeevna 05/20/1986
167. Vetlugin Alexander Arkadevich 07/26/1980
168. Gaydamak Alina Nikolaevna 04/30/1988
169. Volkova Yulia Nikolaevna 04/28/1967
170. Volkov Nikolay Nikolaevich 12/12/1982
171. Volyanskaya Ekaterina Valentinovna 07/22/1992
172. Vishnev Artem Napolenovich 10/26/1988
173. Evgrafova Evgenia Andreevna 06/07/1988
174. Fedorkov Mikhail Andreevich 09/07/1988
176. Gerasina Yulia Borisovna 05/29/1973
177. Zhimalenkov Sergey Evgenievich 08/13/1983
178. Gaydamak Elena Vyacheslavovna 06/08/1965
179. Volkova Marina Vladimirovna 11/14/1965
180. Akimov Mikhail Evgenievich 05/30/1973
181. Amosov Andrey Vladimirovich 12/08/1964
182. Anikeeva Margarita Yakovleva 09/14/1949
183. Anisimov Viktor Anatolyevich 05/07/1962
184. Baglaev Pavel Vladimirovich 12/12/1960
185. Butkevich Alexander Konstantinovich 08/27/1955
186. Danilova Natalya Sergeevna 08/24/1987
187. Prusakova Svetlana Nikolaevna 12/20/1957
188. Pyatochenko Nelya Vladimirovna 01/20/1963
189. Mnatsakanov Leonid Vartanovich 11/07/1975
190. Statskaya Anastasia Vasilievna 04/27/1992
191. Kantserova Valeria Valerievna 02/21/1983
192. Pilip Alexandra Fedorovna 01/21/1968
193. Pulyanov Roman Anatolyevich 11/13/1985
194. Dobritsa Rimma Askhatovna 08/07/1971
195. Dobritsa Andrey Vladimirovich 02/18/1971
196. Sevryukova Victoria Alekseevna 01/22/1991
197. Jorgen Elena Vladimirovna 10/04/1971
198. Tikhomirova Anastasia Andreevna 06/03/1987
199. Brulo Maria Vyacheslavovna 01/28/1967
200. Domestic Elena Alexandrovna 11/15/1990
201. Kirillova Olga Vladimovich
Tambov region (Tambov)
202. Klochkov Alexey Yurievich 07/01/1989
203. Klochkova Svetlana Sergeevna 01/25/1989
Tyumen region (Tyumen)
204. Tomina Elena Vladimirovna 09/01/1969
Krasnoyarsk region
205. Plowman Anna Mikhailovna 07/11/1990
Smolensk region
206. Buleva Yulia Vyacheslavovna 07/15/1990
Altai Territory (Barnaul)
207. Maslennikova Yulia Yuryevna 03/05/1988
Perm (Volga Federal District)
208. Cossack Lyubov Vasilievna 06.11.1957
Udmurt republic
209. Shishkina Maria Andreevna 09/21/1987
Republic of Belarus
210. Seredinsky Roman Anatolyevich 06/05/1987
Republic of Ukraine
211. Sachuk Vladimir Viktorovich 06/17/1989
212. Usatova Irina Vladimirovna 02/13/1972
213. Usatov Kirill 03/15/1999
214. Movchanova Lilia 06/14/1991
Location not determined
215. Vasilyeva Lilia
216. Grigorieva Natalya
217. Ulyanov Roman Anatolyevich
31.10.2015 - 19:59
Egypt News. A tragedy that claimed 224 lives. There were 200 adults, 17 children and 7 crew members on board the plane. The bodies of those killed in the disaster began to be delivered to the Zenhom mortuary in Cairo on Saturday evening.
A search and rescue operation continues at the site of the Russian airliner crash in Egypt.
Let us recall that a passenger plane flying from resort town Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, . The airliner disappeared from radar screens less than half an hour after takeoff. Before this, the car suddenly began to lose altitude.
According to the latest data, 220 Russians, three Ukrainians and three died in the disaster.
It is already known that most of the passengers on the ill-fated flight were from St. Petersburg. Each line on the list of victims has its own story. Some were on vacation in Egypt, some were celebrating a wedding anniversary, some were celebrating a birthday. By and large, many came to the hot country as tourists.
Literally half an hour before the tragedy, this photo appeared on the page of a resident of St. Petersburg.
A beloved husband holds his beloved daughter in his arms. Their family turned four years old on October 27. Olga and Yuri, according to friends, were an incredibly happy couple, they valued and respected each other. Three nice children were born in love (all three were on vacation with mom and dad in Egypt). They loved to travel and preferred beach activities.
Olga Sheina with her daughter
In July we vacationed in Cyprus; we had long planned a trip to Egypt for October.
Tatiana and Alexey Gromov
As Tatyana wrote on her page on the social network, “ flew off to warm up" This was their first trip as a family. Before the flight from St. Petersburg, the happy mother took this photo.
Darina rests her hands on the glass and carefully examines the plane.
The grandmother of the “main passenger” did not want to let her granddaughter go to Egypt, saying that she was still just a baby, let her grow up a little. Darina’s parents insisted: “ Mom, nothing will happen. We'll soak our feet in the sea and come back».
Darina Gromova
The day before, Alexey called home and said that this vacation was the best and most significant, because the first trip “ full staff».
His father was a military pilot. Alexey wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps, but changed his mind. As a result, he built a career in an IT company.
Tatiana and Alexey Gromov
« They seemed the happiest in the world. Both their eyes shone with happiness“- this is what colleagues say
about 62-year-old Alexander Kopylov, deputy head of Pskov, and his wife Elena.
On October 27, the woman celebrated her 53rd birthday. The trips to Egypt were a gift from the husband in honor of his wife’s birthday.
Elena’s daughter, like dozens of daughters and sons whose lives were forever taken by the ill-fated flight from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, refuses to believe what happened.
Among the passengers Airbus aircraft A321 turned out to be Elena Domashnyaya, a participant in the popular TV show “Top Model in Russian”.
Colleague of Elena Domashnaya on the project “Top Model in Russian”. Post on social networks
After the TV show, Lena did not give up modeling, continued to take part in photo projects, and received a diploma in journalism.
Elena Home
In two weeks the beauty would have turned 25 years old. The girl was planning a big celebration.
Elena flew to Egypt on vacation. She was accompanied by her friend and colleague Ksenia Ogorodova.
Ksenia Ogorodova
Ksenia called the autumn spent in paradise, "ideal". Palm trees, sea and sun. A few days ago, a girl boasted that she experienced rain for the first time in Egypt.
One of the Egyptian photographs of Ksenia Ogorodova shows how four young guys throw a girl, probably Ksenia herself, into a pool, and two fall after her. " Rescue of a drowning man. Very cheerful Polish families that don't let you get burned“- this is how the girl signed this photo.
This shot was the last.
32-year-old Katya Murashova was a participant in the beauty contest among married women - “Mrs. Pskov 2014”.
Ekaterina Murashova
As Catherine’s friends say, travel was literally the meaning of her life. She worked in the state department of social protection of the Pskov region, and devoted her free time to trips with her family to different countries and cities. " Very sociable, open and kind person“This is how Katya’s colleagues characterize her.
Nikolay Korolev, organizer of the beauty contest (Pskov Information Agency):
She was a loving mother and an optimistic person. Catherine always did everything well. She was a persistent, hardworking, kind and sympathetic woman. Even without winning the competition, she was not upset, because the process of growth and self-development was important to her. I remember her as a loving mother - she and her daughter had a very warm relationship. She was an optimistic, cheerful woman who loved life.
Ironically, one of the last entries left by Ekaterina Murashova on her social network page is an airplane icon and a song with the sad and, as it turned out, prophetic title “I know that I won’t come back.”
At the age of 27, the life of Alina Gaydamak from St. Petersburg was cut short.
Alina Gaydamak
Finland, Estonia, Cyprus, Thailand. The girl visited a dozen countries and dreamed of visiting as many more, definitely no less. A trip to Egypt appeared spontaneously in her plans.
Alina went on a trip to Israel. On the way back, I decided to fly through Egypt.
Elena and Alexander
The anniversary was celebrated in Egypt. The family planned to return home on October 31 in order to complete preparations for another significant date. On November 1, Elena would have turned 35 years old.
Desperate hope “what if it’s a mistake?” Relatives and friends of the Belarusian Roman Seredinsky live.
The 28-year-old young man was awarded a trip to Egypt for his good work. Nobody could have imagined that the holiday would end in such a tragedy.
Roman Seredinsky
Natalya Melnichenko has known Roma since school. We studied together from first grade. He remembers how we went on excursions around memorable places Belarus, went hiking and to the river. About 10 years ago, a childhood friend left for St. Petersburg. All this time .
Natalya Melnichenok, classmate of Roman Seredinsky:
Roma was and will always remain a good, cheerful person for us.
The son of the dean of the St. Petersburg School of Economics and Management was vacationing at the resort with his beloved Alexandra.
On her Instagram page, Sasha Illarionova shared her impressions and posted photographs of the underwater world. Lenya and Sasha in Lately got seriously interested in diving.
A week ago, Olga Kirillova enthusiastically told her friends that there was nothing better in the world than a vacation at sea.
Olga Kirillova
She calmly endured the heat and more than once noted how the sun adored her. The girl always came home with a luxurious tan.
In numerous photos she is smiling. Olga loved when people around her smiled, then work was a pleasure. She made magnificent bouquets of flowers, buyers left on the pages in in social networks enthusiastic comments.
One of latest works Olga
In Egypt, Olga Kirillova was vacationing with her best friend, 25-year-old Zhenya Sologubova.
They said about them, “do not spill water.” Indeed, the friendship between the girls was the strongest. " The most important thing in any vacation is good company.“, the girlfriends asserted.
Evgenia Sologubova
On the last day spent at the resort, Evgenia left a note on her online page with the words “ out of range” and several graphic emoticons. The girl, of course, said that she was out of the zone for the duration of the flight.
21-year-old table tennis coach Evgeny Yavsin was on vacation in Egypt with his girlfriend Alexandra Chernova.
Evgeny Yavsin and Alexandra Chernova
Evgeniy Yavsin
For their wards, friends and relatives, the news that the cheerful and purposeful Zhenya and Sasha were no more came as a real shock.
As Russian publications report, citing friends of the couple, Evgeniy invited Alexandra to relax in Egypt in order to propose to her.
« Wonderful friendly family“- this is how the Golenkov family from St. Petersburg was remembered.
Vladimir and Victoria Golenkov took their granddaughter Diana with them to the warm sea. In September the baby turned four years old.
Olesya Kosorukova from Novgorod is sure that time cannot be reconciled with pain. Her mother Natalya Rostenko was on board the Airbus A321.
In August, the woman retired and promised her family that she would take a little rest and upon her return she would help with her grandchildren. Natalia has five of them.
Natalya Rostenko during one of the trips
She vacationed in Sharm el-Sheikh seven times, was delighted with the resort and planned to return here in January to celebrate her birthday.
« I never thought that Egypt would evoke so many positive emotions in me. Do I want to live here? No. Will I come back here? Necessarily", wrote on Thursday evening
A 24-year-old resident of St. Petersburg on her social network page.
Victoria Sevryukova shared photos from the trip with her virtual friends. The girl enjoyed life and literally accompanied every photo with the hashtags “happiness is here” and “I don’t want to leave.”
Friends remember: Vika always traveled with her favorite pink suitcase.
Victoria Sevryukova
This thing seemed to confirm: the hostess is never in a bad mood.
Alexey and Oksana Semakova are another married couple who have registered on board.
The Semakovs
News of Ukraine. Ukraine has announced Iran’s agreement to transfer to it the black boxes of the Boeing shot down on January 8, reported the “24 Hours” News program on STV. In mid-February, Iran's Foreign Minister said that the country did not have the technical capabilities to decipher them.
Therefore, Tehran decided that it would send the flight recorders to Kyiv with subsequent transfer to France if additional examination was required.
Let us remind you that passenger airliner « International airlines Ukraine" crashed after taking off from Tehran airport. 176 people died. Iran admitted that it shot down the plane by mistake - two missiles were fired at the airliner.
- Read more
October 31, 2015, flight Sharm el-Sheikh - St. Petersburg. Someone looks through photos on their phone, imagining how they will tell their family and friends about their vacation. Married couples calm down children who are acting too violently in the morning - and are probably afraid to fly. Departure was on schedule, we headed straight into the sky. The very next day, the media circulated a photo of the “main passenger” - ten-month-old Darina Gromova. This photo will become a kind of symbol of the fateful flight Airbus 321, from which none of the 224 people returned alive.
"Flight in normal mode"
The plane took off safely and began to climb at 6:50 Moscow time. Everything is going as normal, when suddenly after 23 minutes the dispatchers lose contact with the crew.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport reports that the flight is delayed “for technical reasons.” Time is postponed once, rescheduled twice... In Russia, they try not to think about the worst and nervously wait for messages from relatives: about an emergency landing, or about anything, as long as they write. When the flowers had already begun to fade, and the message about the next flight postponement was on the board, the relatives’ nerves could not stand it: calls began pouring in to the Kogalymavia airline and the tour operator Brisco. “We’re figuring everything out,” “Don’t worry,” people in different authorities heard.
And then came the news that flashed through everyone’s head, but they refused to believe. It was not immediately known that everyone had died. One of the rescuers who immediately moved to the scene after the crash reported that he heard the voices of passengers coming from under the wreckage of the liner. Within minutes it became clear: I hadn’t heard, it seemed.
Main passenger
Collage © L!FE. Photo: © RIA Novosti/Maxim Grigoriev/TASS/POOL © wikipedia.org
A photograph of ten-month-old Darina Gromova from Gatchina, taken at Pulkovo airport, seemed to have gone around all the well-known Russian media and was circulated on social networks. The photograph became one of the symbols of that terrible tragedy.
Son, Alexey, wanted to be a pilot. Only I didn’t allow it,” Darina’s grandmother Elena later told Life.
Alexey's father was a military pilot for 30 years. The young man himself graduated from a technical specialty and went to work for an IT company. Here he met Tatyana. The young people got married a little more than a year before the tragedy. The young man’s social network page, which is still accessible, contains many photos of the couple in love, taken on their wedding day.
Tatyana called her daughter “the main passenger.” Before the flight from Pulkovo, she photographed a girl who was pressing her hands against the glass and posted the picture on social networks.
Darina’s grandmother suggested that parents not take their child on the flight: he would be scared and would not tolerate it well. But they didn’t listen: the child needed to bask in the sun.
"I won't live without her"
October 31st was a tragedy for thousands of people. Svetlana Dudochkina’s husband, Anatoly, was unable to fly with his wife on vacation that time. The couple had been to Egypt more than once, so the woman knew quite well how to behave at the resort. His warning seemed even more strange.
It was the first time she went on vacation without me. I told her that if something happens, I won’t survive without her. “I don’t want to live anymore, I’m not interested,” Anatoly said after the crash.
The woman went on vacation in the company of her daughter and two young grandchildren. But the daughter decided to stay another day or two, since there was an opportunity to rest longer. As a result, only Svetlana of the whole family boarded the fateful flight.
Birthday gift
On October 27, the common-law wife of the then deputy head of Pskov, Alexandra Kopylova, celebrated her birthday. He bought trips for himself and his beloved, Elena Melnikova. They didn’t want to let me go from work, but the deputy head of the city persuaded me to do it. He argued that the reason was too weighty.
The man met his future common-law wife at work. The fact is that Elena is the head of the personnel department in the Pskov City Duma. Alexander’s wife died several years earlier, Elena was divorced. They had been together for about a year at that point.
All the time on vacation, Elena talked on social networks about how they had a very good rest - swimming, sunbathing and generally having a blast. IN last time went online three hours before the fateful flight.
“A little more and I’ll leave aviation”
Senior flight attendant, 38-year-old Valentina Martsevich, who devoted 12 years to the sky, planned to retire from aviation in the near future. I wanted peace of mind and made plans for a calm family life. Valentina's husband, Maxim, is the commander of the aircraft. At that moment he was on a China Airlines flight.
Valentina herself is from Anapa, she was working at the Krasnodar airport when she met her future husband. Soon they moved to Moscow together. He is always on the flight, she is on the next flight. Tired of seeing my husband and family in fits and starts.
On October 5, her birthday, she flew home to hug her mother. Friends later recalled that she behaved quite strangely: she spoke strangely, smiled strangely, and took a lot of pictures.
While returning to Moscow, shortly before the fateful flight, the woman got scared for the first time in her life while boarding. She told her friends how the plane was shaking and she was afraid that the pilots would not land the plane successfully.
"Fluffy, I'm waiting"
Flight attendant Marina Okhotnikova was supposed to meet her steward husband Andrei Belomestnov at Domodedovo on November 1. The plan looked like this: Andrey lands in Pulkovo, rests, and then goes to Moscow as a passenger. 20 minutes after its arrival in the capital, it lands. The young people were planning an unforgettable weekend.
The couple had a tradition: all four years that they were together, Andrei sent his beloved SMS during such “intersections” with the same text: “Fluffy, I’m already waiting for you.” This time there was no message. Andrei was supposed to turn 30 in November...
Versions
Experts considered four main versions of the plane crash: a technical malfunction, a pilot error, that the plane was shot down, and an explosion.
Technical problem
Photo: © RIA Novosti/Maxim Grigoriev/TASS/POOL
The first version that investigators began to consider was a technical malfunction. Allegedly the liner had defects. For example, 14 years before the tragedy, in November 2001, at Cairo airport, the airliner landed unsuccessfully and hit the ground with its tail. At that time it was still owned by Middle East Airlines. After the incident, the aircraft was repaired and sold. After that, it was chartered by various airlines until it finally “settled” at Kogalymavia in 2012.
You can say whatever you want about this airline, but any aircraft of any carrier undergoes inspection before a new flight. In addition, the boards undergo technical checks. So, the engines of the airliner were examined five days before the tragedy. And it is unlikely that the experts would have missed such a significant malfunction that could have caused the plane to crash. This point of view was confirmed by the airline. In addition, experienced pilots have repeatedly said that none of the crew members would risk their own lives, but would simply refuse to fly if in doubt.
Another fact speaks against the version of a malfunction: on the eve of the crash, the Airbus was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to Samara and back. After that, it underwent maintenance at the Egyptian airport; no critical problems were recorded.
A week after the tragedy, IAC representatives said that until the recording of the recorders stopped, the flight proceeded as normal; information about failures of the aircraft’s systems and components was not recorded on the parametric recorder.
Crew error
This version became the second. Allegedly, the pilots could panic and behave incorrectly in a critical situation. This version was denied by the Federal Air Transport Agency on the same day. PIC Valery Nemov was originally a military pilot, and after his retirement (the man was 48 years old) he retrained as a pilot civil aviation at the AmurAir training center in Turkey. His total flight experience is 3,682 hours, of which 1,100 hours were as an aircraft commander.
The co-pilot, 45-year-old Sergei Trukhachev, had 5,641 flight hours under his belt - more than the PIC. He underwent special training in the Czech Republic to fly the A321.
The Kogalymavia pilots themselves ruled out the version of the error: they posted a letter on the Internet just a few hours after the tragedy, where they stated that there could be no error. This version has priority. The media began to write that there was a bomb on board a few hours after the tragedy. Within a month, the fact of the explosion was confirmed by Russian experts. Thus, on November 16, 2015, the head of the FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, at a meeting in the Kremlin, officially announced for the first time that what happened was a terrorist attack.
It was initially assumed that the bomb was planted between passenger seats in the 30th row. However, later experts came to the conclusion that homemade explosive device with a capacity of up to 1 kg in TNT equivalent, it was located in the tail section, next to the baby strollers. A timer installed in the bomb counted down how many more minutes the 224 people would live. After the explosion, the tail section of the airliner was torn off, and it went into an uncontrolled dive.
For a long time, Egyptian officials did not officially recognize the incident as a terrorist attack (according to one version, for fear of multimillion-dollar lawsuits from relatives of the victims). Cairo called for waiting for the official results of the investigation, which, by the way, are still missing. However, in February 2017, the representative of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Abu Zeid, somewhat admitted that a terrorist attack had occurred on board.
Dozens or even hundreds of people became victims of terrorist operations, including as a result of the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai, he said.
* The organization is banned in Russia by decision of the Supreme Court.
Exactly a year ago, on October 31, 2015, the most massive plane crash in Russia in terms of the number of victims occurred. Then in the north of the Sinai Peninsula an A321 plane of the Russian airline Kogalymavia. There were 217 passengers on board, including 24 children, and seven crew members. They all died. Russian authorities have recognized the incident as a terrorist attack, but the international investigation has not yet been completed.
On October 31, an A321 aircraft of the Russian airline Kogalymavia was performing chartered flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. The airliner took off at 5:50 am and disappeared from radar 23 minutes later. On the same day search groups 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 died, including 219 Russians, four citizens of Ukraine and one native of Belarus.
Causes of the A321 crash
The international investigation, led by Egyptian aviation authorities, is not yet over. Representatives of Russia, France, Germany, Ireland and the USA take part in it.
Western media were the first to report that a terrorist attack could have occurred on board the A321, shortly after the plane crash, citing their sources in the intelligence services and officials. From these publications it followed that the US and British authorities considered the version of a terrorist attack to be the most likely. However, Moscow publicly distanced itself from it for a long time, calling the version of the terrorist attack premature and calling to wait for the official results of the investigation. And only on November 6, a decision was made to suspend air traffic with Egypt until the causes of the A321 crash were clarified and to evacuate the Russians there.
Officially, the FSB terrorist attack that occurred over Sinai only two and a half weeks after the disaster, on November 17. According to the department, an improvised explosive device went off during the flight. Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of the Security Council, find the organizers of the crash “anywhere on the planet” and destroy them.
However, even after these statements, the Egyptian authorities continued to insist that the most likely cause of the disaster was a technical problem. And only in February 2016, the country's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi admitted that a terrorist attack had occurred on board the A321.
In September, the Kommersant newspaper, citing sources, reported that an international technical commission had established the exact location of the explosion on the plane. According to the publication, experts determined that terrorists had mined the compartment oversized luggage in the tail of the plane, hiding an explosive device between baby carriages and wicker furniture carried by tourists.
Russia and the CIA believe that the explosion on board was organized by Wilayat Sinai (until 2014 - Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis), a cell of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIS) banned in Russia. The group claimed responsibility for the downing of A321: On November 18, 2015, the Islamic State's propaganda magazine, Dabiq, published a photo of an improvised explosive device made from a can of Schweppes soda. As stated in the article, this is the device that was activated on board the A321. In August 2016, the Egyptian military reported the murder of Wilayat Sinai leader Abu Duaa al-Ansari, suspected of organizing the terrorist attack.
Scandalous case
Relatives of those killed in the disaster have repeatedly complained about the progress of the investigation and the process of paying compensation. In December, lawyer Igor Trunov, on behalf of 35 relatives, filed a complaint with the Basmanny Court about the inaction of the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. According to the lawyer, it was expressed in the fact that the Investigative Committee ignored two appeals from relatives. In one of them, they asked to be informed of the number of the criminal case, to be recognized as victims and to be acquainted with the investigation materials. Another complaint concerned Ingosstrakh. The appeal alleged that the company fraudulently obtains from relatives of the deceased statements limiting their right to go to court to obtain compensation. Ingosstrakh itself categorically rejected these accusations. And the claim against Bastrykin was rejected.
Consequences
After the crash of the Kogalymavia plane, Russia suspended air traffic with Egypt, and tour operators were prohibited from working in this direction. They have been waiting all year for the resumption of communications with the country, which for many years was one of the main resort destinations for Russians. According to the latest data, this may happen no earlier than December-January.
To resume flights, the Egyptian side needs to fulfill a number of airport security requirements (their full list has not been officially published). During the year, Russia repeatedly sent its specialists to Egypt for inspections at the airports of Cairo, Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, but each time there were violations. According to sources of the Al-Watan newspaper, quoted by TASS, “a number of Russian structures refuse to discuss the issue of resuming air traffic with Egypt until the results of the official investigation appear.”
With the closure of air traffic, Egypt suffered significant losses. From the collapse of tourism, one of the country’s key industries (more than 11% of GDP until November 2015), Egypt’s budget, according to Reuters, lost more than three billion dollars.
The crash of the Russian airbus and the subsequent cessation of flights to the Arab Republic led to problems for Kogalymavia itself and the associated tour operator Brisco, which was the customer of flight 9268. The case of declaring the carrier bankrupt has been dragging on since the spring of 2015, the next meeting will take place on November 10. In March, Rosaviatsia limited Kogalymavia’s operator’s certificate and deprived it of access to 13 international destinations.
The organizer of the flight, tour operator Brisco, suspended operations on August 2 until it repaid 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.”