Armenia Cautious on Crash

Armenia Cautious on Crash

Moscow Times, Russia
July 31 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia — A top Armenian air safety official said Friday
that a Russian-led investigation into the crash of a passenger jet
that killed 113 people in May could be premature in saying that the
cause was pilot error.

Artyom Movsisian, head of Armenia’s civil aviation authority, said
the exact cause of the crash of the A320 operated by Armenia’s Armavia
airline on the approach to Sochi remained unclear.

"Was it problems with the pilot’s health or nervousness of the air
traffic controller or the pilot’s loss of direction? This remains to
be seen," he said, adding that the conclusions announced in Moscow
were only preliminary.

The airline’s security chief, Arshan Nalbandian, said the Russian
findings "do not correspond to reality because the investigation is
not over yet." (AP)