A Russian passenger plane with 92 people aboard, including a well-known military entertainment troupe, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, minutes after takeoff from the resort city of Sochi, the Defense Ministry said. The Tu-154, which belonged to the Russian Defense Ministry, was taking servicemen and members of a renowned military choir and dance ensemble, the Alexandrov Ensemble, to Russia's Hmeymim air base in Latakia, Syria, to entertain military personnel in the run-up to the new year, the RIA news agency quoted the Defense Ministry as saying. Nine Russian journalists, including a TV crew from Channel One, were also among the passengers. A total of 84 passengers and eight crew members were on board the plane when it dropped off of radars, minutes after taking off in good weather conditions from Sochi, on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Emergency services found fragments about 1.5 kilometers (less than a mile) off shore at depths of 50 to 70 meters (165 to 230 feet). Citing an unidentified security source, Russia's RIA news agency said preliminary data indicated that the plane had crashed because of a technical malfunction or pilot error. The Interfax news agency cited an unnamed source as saying the plane had not sent an SOS signal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Sunday it was too early to say what had caused the crash. Russian President Vladimir Putin was being kept informed of latest developments, Peskov added. Rescuers have already found one body and personal documents belonging to some of those on board. There was no word of survivors. The Tu-154 is a Soviet-built three-engine airliner designed in the late 1960s. More than 1,000 have been built, and they have been used extensively by carriers in Russia and worldwide. In recent years, Russian airlines have replaced their Tu-154s with more modern planes, but the military and some other government agencies in Russia have continued to use them.
Russian passenger jet with 92 aboard crashes into Black Sea
Soviet-built Tu-154 was carrying a military entertainment troupe and journalists from Black Sea coastal city of Sochi to Russian base in Latakia, Syria • Debris and personal items found in sea • Initial report: Malfunction or pilot error caused crash.
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