RUSSIA: BAD WEATHER CONFIRMED AS REASON FOR ARMENIAN AIRBUS CRASH

NTV Mir, Moscow
11 May 06

A Russian aviation official has been giving details of what happened
when an Armenian Airbus crashed into the Black Sea on 2 May, the
Russian external TV service NTV Mir reported on 11 May.

The head of the air accident investigations department at the
Interstate Aviation Committee, Aleksey Morozov, said: “It has been
established that in the process of coming in to land on runway 06
for which permission had been granted – and I stress permission had
been granted – bad weather led the air traffic controller to order
the crew to halt its descent, make a right turn and gain height. The
aircraft began its right turn and ascent but then began to come down
and hit the surface of the water.”

The information comes from recordings of conversations between the crew
and air traffic control in Adler, the presenter said. In addition,
he said, a Sochi airport official has denied rumours that the air
traffic controller who was speaking to the plane had vanished. He
will be at work tomorrow and there are no complaints against him.