UI Tupolev Tu-154B-2 RA-85556,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 322563
 

Date:Tuesday 24 August 2004
Time:22:53
Type:Silhouette image of generic T154 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Tupolev Tu-154B-2
Owner/operator:Sibir Airlines
Registration: RA-85556
MSN: 82A556
Year of manufacture:1982
Total airframe hrs:30751 hours
Engine model:Kuznetsov NK-8-2U
Fatalities:Fatalities: 46 / Occupants: 46
Aircraft damage: Destroyed, written off
Category:UI
Location:8 km from Gluboki -   Russia
Phase: En route
Nature:Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:Moskva-Domodedovo Airport (DME/UUDD)
Destination airport:Adler/Sochi Airport (AER/URSS)
Confidence Rating:
Narrative:
Sibir Airlines Flight 1047, a Tupolev Tu-154, departed Moscow about 22:40 on a domestic passenger flight to Sochi, Russia. At an altitude of 12100 m an explosion occurred inside cabin on the right hand side on seat row 25. An explosive decompression followed and the aircraft entered a descent. It subsequently broke up and crashed, killing all 46 on board.

The aircraft crashed almost simultaneously with a Volga-Aviaexpress Tupolev Tu-134 which had also departed Moscow's Domodedovo Airport earlier that night. Investigations revealed traces of Hexogen, a highly sophisticated explosive also known as RDX in the wreckage. It appeared that the explosives had been carried aboard by a female passenger. Two female suicide bombers arrived at Moscow at 19:45 on the same day on a flight from Makhachkala in the company of another two Chechens. They were taken aside on arrival and were handed to a police captain in charge of antiterrorist precautions, but they were released without apparently having been searched. Both women then bought tickets on the Sibir flight to Sochi and the Volga-Aviaexpress to Volgograd from a black-market peddler. After bribing a Sibir Airlines employee in charge of check-in and boarding one of the women was able to bypass security and get on board the Tupolev Tu-154.

The cause of the crashes of Tu-154 RA 85556 and Tu-134 RA 65080 aircrafts on August 24, 2004 was the destruction of aircraft construction in flight as a result of the impact of explosive charges.

Sources:

gazeta.ru
ITAR-TASS
Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation

Location

Images:


photo (c) David Russell; Moskva-Domodedovo Airport (DME/UUDD); July 2000

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org