Interstate Aviation Committee: Investigation of Airbus A320 crash close to end

Regnum, Russia
July 12 2006

Investigation of the Airbus A320 crash above the Black Sea is coming
to an end. "We are now at the final stage. We have all necessary data
for determining the true causes of the tragedy. By the end of July,
all the materials will be published and the work will be completed,"
Head of the Interstate Aviation Committee Tatyana Anodina is quoted
as saying at a news conference in Yerevan.

As a REGNUM correspondent reports, according to her, communications
of the Airbus A320 crew will not be made public, as it is what the
international regulations require. Speaking on the transcript of the
crew communications recordings published in the press, Tatyana Anodina
expressed her bewilderment on how the documents could be obtained by
the press, and she noted "it was incorrect information."

"We have thoroughly examined all the documents, analyzed communications
of the pilots. The cause will be certainly found, as we have all
necessary materials" she stressed. Speaking on the actions of air
traffic controllers, Tatyana Anodina is quoted as saying that, under
existing regulations, if weather changes (and the actual weather went
below minimums for Runway 06 at Sochi Airport during the approach),
the controller shall provide the crew with its full details . At the
same time she did not deny the fact that the controller instructed
the pilot to stop descent. It is worth mentioning that the official
statement of the Interstate Aviation Committee concerning the May
3 crash of the Airbus A320 belonging to Armenian Airlines during
a Yerevan-Sochi flight said: "After correcting the deviation the
aircraft started descent in accordance with the approach chart. At
22:10:45 p.m. the pilot reported wheels down and ready to land, and
the controller replied that their distance from the runway was 10 km,
cloud base 190 meters and visibility 4000 meters, and cleared them
for the approach. However, in 30 seconds, the controller informed
the pilot that base of cloud became 100 m and instructed him to stop
descent, turn right, execute a missed approach procedure, climb to
height 600 m and contact the Radar controller."

"We do not establish somebody’s guilt, national agencies in charge
do it," Tatyana Anodina said.