DECODING OF A 320 FLIGHT DATA RECORDER COMPLETED

Regnum, Russia
June 19 2006

The Interstate Aviation Committee has completed decoding transcripts
of the a 320 flight data recorder and synchronizing transcripts of
flight and ATC (communication recorders and radar) recordings of the
A 320 aircraft belonging to Armavia that crashed on May 3.

As REGNUM is told in the Russian Transport Ministry press office,
the flight data recorder registered data on eight flights of the
plane, including the crash from April 30 to May 3, 2006. The whole
duration of the recording is about 26 h 20 min, including the last
flight recording (1 h 26 min). Decoding of the last flight data has
shown that destruction of the aircraft did not happen in the air. The
engines were functioning till the moment the plane collided with
water surface. There was enough fuel aboard to safely completing
the flight. During the last minute of the flight the autopilot was
disengaged and the plane was approaching in a directory mode.

The Russian Transport Ministry notes that the commission started
complex analysis of recordings and it is planned to reconstruct events
of the flight at A320 simulator. The analysis and the examination
will reveal what caused the incident and recommendations will be
given how to improve flight safety.

The Armenian A 320 crashed in the Black Sea on May 3, during a
Yerevan-Sochi flight. 113 people were killed, including 105 passengers
and eight crew members.