RUSSIA FINDS AIRBUS ‘BLACK BOX’

BBC NEWS:
europe/5007700.stm
2006/05/23 09:48:25 GMT

A Russian search team has recovered the cockpit voice recorder from an
Armenian airliner that crashed into the Black Sea on 3 May, killing
113 people.

The “black box” had been lying in a thick layer of silt on the seabed,
at a depth of about 500m (1,640ft).

Investigators hope it will help explain why the Armavia Airbus A320
plunged into the sea. The crash happened in bad weather as the jet
approached Sochi.

The “black box” was damaged by the impact, Russian officials said.

A search continues for the flight data recorder. A signal has been
received from it and there are hopes it will be recovered in the
coming hours.

The A320 crashed at about 0215 (2215 GMT) on 3 May as it made a second
attempt to land at an airport near Sochi, a Russian resort town.

It was initially refused permission to land because of poor weather.

Most of the passengers were Armenian, but there were also 26 Russian
nationals. Among those on board were eight crew and six children.

Armavia, the airline which owned the plane, says that it was in good
condition and that the crew were experienced.

The Airbus was manufactured in 1995 and underwent checks last month.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress