IAC’S REPORT ON REASONS OF ACCIDENT OF A-320 PLANE IS INCOMPLETE, ARMAVIA SPECIALISTS DECLARE
YEREVAN, JULY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The report on the conclusion of
the Intergovernmental Aviation Committee’s (IAC) commission that
implemented the investigation of the May 3 accident of Armavia
airline’s A-320 plane carrying out Yerevan-Sochi flight is incomplete,
as contrary to IAC’s statement, the investigation has not been
officially finished yet. Arshak Nalbandian, Head of the Armavia’s
Flight Security Inspection, member of IAC Flight Subgroup, informed
journalists about it on July 27. From the very start he took part
in studying the accident reasons and in works of IAC. In his words,
the Armenian side has not signed yet under any final document.
In A.Nalbandian’s words, no one refutes that the plane crew made
some mistakes during the flight. But, as he said, it is not proved
yet that the accident was caused by the very mistakes.
As A.Nalbandian said, the plane’s hitting the sea surface is connected
not only (if is connected at all) with the mistakes of the crew, but
also with the flying control officers of Sochi airport, in particular,
the wrong information of Sochi meteorological station about weather
also contributed to the accident. It was mentioned that the guards
watching the sea surface confirmed that there were thick clouds in
the area of airport at that time, the same was also fixed during the
conversation of the crew. But there are no data about this at the
airport’s meteorological station. And one of the reasons of plane
accident, as A.Nalbandian stated, could be the influence of external
meteorological phenomena.
The head of Armavia’s flight security inspection did not exclude that
unless they are satisfied with the investigation, the company will
apply to the neutral side for carrying out a new investigation.
Mihran Khachatrian, Director of Armavia on Flights, declared that
the flight was controllable from start to end. He reported that
the conclusion made up after the flight modelling done in the
French city of Toulouse and signed by the Armenian side consisted
of three points. But the last point was not included in the IAC
conclusion. According to it, after turning off the autopilot, during
the last 16 seconds of the flight, the reason of the plane’s lowering
has not been disclosed yet.