Fuselage of Russian aircraft that crashed into Black Sea reportedly found

Russian authorities are investigating the possibility of a pilot error or technical fault as the cause of the plane crash into the Black Sea that presumably left 84 passengers and eight crew people dead, said Russia’s transport minister.</s>Thousands of rescuers have been searching for bodies in the Black Sea as Russia marks a national day of mourning after a Syria-bound military plane crashed on December 25, killing all 92 people on board. By early December 26, only 11 bodies of the crash victims had been found as some 3,500 workers continued searching for bodies and debris -- including the black boxes containing the plane's cockpit flight data -- before currents carry them further away from the shore.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Weekday Magazine.</s>Russia holds a national day of mourning on Monday (December 26), a day after a Syria-bound military plane crashed into the Black Sea killing all 92 people on board, and expanded a search operation to try to recover passengers’ bodies and the jet’s black box. Mia Womersley reports.

Reuters tells the world’s stories like no one else. As the largest international multimedia news provider, Reuters provides coverage around the globe and across topics including business, financial, national, and international news. For over 160 years, Reuters has maintained its reputation for speed, accuracy, and impact while providing exclusives, incisive commentary and forward-looking analysis.</s>Russian military plane missing in Black Sea with 91 on board – The Guardian

Comments Off on Russian military plane missing in Black Sea with 91 on board – The Guardian</s>(CNN) A massive search and rescue operation is under way in the Black Sea after a Russian military plane crashed Sunday with 92 on board. Thirteen bodies have so far been recovered, as well as more than 150 pieces of debris, the Itar-Tass news agency reported, quoting a source in security agencies.

Terrorism was not a likely cause of the crash, Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said in a call with reporters Monday. Russia's transport minister said it was assumed the plane had crashed due to technical malfunction or pilot error.

The Tupolev Tu-154 plane carrying 84 passengers and eight crew crashed in the Black Sea near Sochi after disappearing from radar Sunday morning local time, state-run Ria Novosti news agency reported.

The Defense Ministry said there appeared to be no survivors. Russia is observing a national day of mourning Monday.

Photographs of Channel One, NTV and Zvezda TV journalists killed in the plane crash are seen outside the Ostankino Technical Center in Moscow.

Photographs of Channel One, NTV and Zvezda TV journalists killed in the plane crash are seen outside the Ostankino Technical Center in Moscow.

Two women stand outside Alexandrov Hall, a rehearsal room of the Alexandrov Ensemble, in Moscow on Sunday. The ensemble, established in 1928, has toured the world performing Russian folk songs, World War II anthems and patriotic music.

Two women stand outside Alexandrov Hall, a rehearsal room of the Alexandrov Ensemble, in Moscow on Sunday. The ensemble, established in 1928, has toured the world performing Russian folk songs, World War II anthems and patriotic music.

Flowers lay in front of a photo of the Alexandrov Ensemble at the group's building in Moscow. "These people always performed in war zones, they wore uniforms, they brought kindness and light," Kibovsky said.

Flowers lay in front of a photo of the Alexandrov Ensemble at the group's building in Moscow. "These people always performed in war zones, they wore uniforms, they brought kindness and light," Kibovsky said.

A man places flowers outside the building of the Alexandrov Ensemble in Moscow on Sunday. Alexander Kibovsky, head of Moscow's culture department, called them "our cultural paratroopers."

A man places flowers outside the building of the Alexandrov Ensemble in Moscow on Sunday. Alexander Kibovsky, head of Moscow's culture department, called them "our cultural paratroopers."

A man places a candle outside the building of the famed Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian army's official dance and choir company, in Moscow.

A man places a candle outside the building of the famed Alexandrov Ensemble, the Russian army's official dance and choir company, in Moscow.

Russian police secure the area near where the plane crashed. In addition to the ensemble, the plane was carrying eight crew, eight soldiers and nine journalists.

Russian police secure the area near where the plane crashed. In addition to the ensemble, the plane was carrying eight crew, eight soldiers and nine journalists.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of Kazakhstan, speak to members of the media in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 25. Putin has ordered Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to lead an investigation of the crash, Russian news agency Sputnik reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of Kazakhstan, speak to members of the media in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 25. Putin has ordered Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to lead an investigation of the crash, Russian news agency Sputnik reported.

Russian emergency workers carry remains from the wreckage of the Tu-154 plane that crashed near Sochi on December 25.

Russian emergency workers carry remains from the wreckage of the Tu-154 plane that crashed near Sochi on December 25.

Russian emergency personnel work near the site of the crash on December 25. The plane was en route from Moscow to Syria and had stopped in Sochi to refuel.

Russian emergency personnel work near the site of the crash on December 25. The plane was en route from Moscow to Syria and had stopped in Sochi to refuel.

People hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the crash on Sunday, December 25, in Sochi.

People hold a candlelight vigil for victims of the crash on Sunday, December 25, in Sochi.

A Russian police orchestra musician places a flower in tribute to members of the Alexandrov Ensemble outside their home stage building in Moscow on December 26. The popular ensemble was scheduled to perform for Russian pilots in Syria ahead of New Year's Day.

A Russian police orchestra musician places a flower in tribute to members of the Alexandrov Ensemble outside their home stage building in Moscow on December 26. The popular ensemble was scheduled to perform for Russian pilots in Syria ahead of New Year's Day.

People visit a makeshift memorial to victims of the crash at a pier in Sochi on December 26. Russia is observing a national day of mourning for the eight crew and 84 passengers aboard.

People visit a makeshift memorial to victims of the crash at a pier in Sochi on December 26. Russia is observing a national day of mourning for the eight crew and 84 passengers aboard.

Wreckage from the Tu-154 plane is hauled from the Black Sea late on Monday, December 26.

Wreckage from the Tu-154 plane is hauled from the Black Sea late on Monday, December 26.

A woman lights a candle Tuesday next to makeshift memorial in Sochi, Russia, for Russian activist Elizaveta Glinka, who was killed in the crash. Also presumed dead were nine journalists and more than 60 members of the Russian army's official choir, the Alexandrov Ensemble.

A woman lights a candle Tuesday next to makeshift memorial in Sochi, Russia, for Russian activist Elizaveta Glinka, who was killed in the crash. Also presumed dead were nine journalists and more than 60 members of the Russian army's official choir, the Alexandrov Ensemble.

Emergency Ministry personnel prepare a submersible craft Tuesday to search for sunken wreckage and victims' remains. Thirteen bodies had been recovered from the Black Sea as of Tuesday morning.

Emergency Ministry personnel prepare a submersible craft Tuesday to search for sunken wreckage and victims' remains. Thirteen bodies had been recovered from the Black Sea as of Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, December 27, members of Russia's Emergency Ministry pack a flight recorder recovered from a Russian military plane that crashed Sunday into the Black Sea with 92 people aboard. Russia's transport minister said it was assumed the plane had crashed due to technical malfunction or pilot error -- not terrorism.

On Tuesday, December 27, members of Russia's Emergency Ministry pack a flight recorder recovered from a Russian military plane that crashed Sunday into the Black Sea with 92 people aboard. Russia's transport minister said it was assumed the plane had crashed due to technical malfunction or pilot error -- not terrorism.

The ministry said 3,500 search and rescue personnel are involved in the search.

Searchers have not paused "for a minute during the night," the ministry said Monday. "Experts thoroughly analyzed control data from radio-location equipment and determined the Tu-154's flight trajectory."

Ships, divers and aircraft continue to arrive in the search area. The search-and-rescue operation has 39 ships and cutters, 135 divers and 7 deep-water vehicles.

"Military personnel of the Southern Military district keep examining the shoreline to find and collect the bodies, debris of the plane and personal belongings of passengers," it said.

Divers found the Tu-154's fuselage about a mile offshore in the Black Sea at the depth of 27 meters, RIA Novosti reported.

Earlier Monday a military plane flew 10 bodies and fragments of debris to Moscow, where DNA testing would be carried out, the ministry said.

It said experts had been able to more precisely locate the crash site by using data from radio location equipment, but that the search was complicated by varying sea depths.

The Tupolev plane was carrying members of the army's official choir -- the Alexandrov Ensemble --"flying to congratulate Russian air force pilots in Syria with the New Year," Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashekov said Sunday.

The plane took off from Moscow and was headed to the Russian Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, Syria, where Russia has a large military presence, a source told Russia's state news agency Tass.

En route to Syria, the plane landed in Sochi to refuel, the Defense Ministry's press service told Russia's Interfax news agency.

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Why the plane crashed is not yet known.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to lead an investigation, according to Russian news agency Sputnik.

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said Monday that "the major versions do not include the terrorist attack, so we assume that the cause of the crash could be either technical malfunction or pilot error," according to state-run TASS.

It quoted Viktor Ozerov, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, as saying he completely ruled out terrorism.

"I rule out version of the terror attack completely. It is the aircraft of the Ministry of Defense, the airspace of the Russian Federation, there cannot be such a version," Ozerov is quoted as saying. "The plane had to make a U-turn after takeoff over the sea (and) may (have taken) the wrong direction."

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said Monday that "the major versions do not include the terrorist attack, so we assume that the cause of the crash could be either technical malfunction or pilot error," according to TASS.

The Russian Investigation Committee has launched a routine criminal investigation to examine potential "violation of rules of flight safety or preparation," committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko earlier told Tass. The committee plans to seize documents and interrogate those who prepared the plane for flight, she added.

CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam said no major weather patterns were present at the time of the plane's disappearance.

The victims

According to a Defense Ministry list, among those on board were eight crew members, eight soldiers and more than 60 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, including its conductor Valery Kahlilov.

A photo of a Tupolev Tu-154, the same plane that disappeared Sunday morning after taking off near Sochi, Russia.

Since 1928, the Alexandrov Ensemble has grown into a immensely popular tradition due to its unending government support. It has toured the world performing Russian folk songs, World War II anthems and patriotic music, and was dubbed "Russia's singing weapon."

Tass is reporting that at least 12 family members have arrived in Sochi and the rector of the St. Nicolas Church in Sochi, archpriest Dmitry Petukhov, has conducted a service in memory of the flight's victims at an airport chapel.

Another passenger was the famous Russian human rights activist, Liza Glinka, according to CNN affiliate RBC. She was bringing medicine and other supplies to a local hospital in Syria, her colleague and friend Dr. Sergey Kurkov told RBC.

A Facebook page for Glinka's charity "Fair Aid" carried a post mourning "this huge loss for our entire nation."

Nine journalists, including three reporters with Star TV, were also on board, the Defense Ministry said on its television network.</s>More than 3,000 people are involved in a major search operation for victims' bodies and aircraft debris from the Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea.

A day of mourning for the 92 people on board - including members of the army's world-famous choir, has been declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia's transport minister said investigators were looking into all possible reasons for the cause of the Christmas Day crash.</s>More than 3,000 people are involved in a major search operation for victims' bodies and aircraft debris from the Russian military plane that crashed into the Black Sea.

A day of mourning for the 92 people on board - including members of the army's world-famous choir, has been declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia's transport minister said investigators were looking into all possible reasons for the cause of the Christmas Day crash.</s>Investigators have found one of flight data recorders of the Russian military aircraft that crashed in the Black Sea. The black box was found 1,600 metres away from the shore, the Russian defence ministry told a news agency. It will be sent to Moscow later on Tuesday for analysis, reported Reuters.

Another report said investigators found the data recorder in “good condition”. They also said that the location of the second black box had been identified, according to BBC. Earlier, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov had said it would be a challenge to locate the flight recorders as the devices did not have radio beacons.

The black box has information that could help investigators determine what caused the crash. A person close to the investigation told another Russian news agency that the military aircraft may have been overloaded. “Witness accounts and other objective data obtained during the investigation suggest the plane was unable to gain height and for some reason – possibly overloading or a technical fault – crashed into the sea,” said the official who did not want to be named. Earlier, Transport Minister Sokolov had said that a pilot error or possible technical fault most likely caused the Russian military plane to crash into the Black Sea.

Investigators have also found “a further five fragments of the plane”, said the Defence Ministry. These included pieces of fuselage and engine fragments. The search for the bodies continue. Remains of only 16 of the 92 people who died have been found so far, reported BBC.

All of this comes a day after the main body of the crashed plane was found in the Black Sea and rescue teams also recovered 11 bodies and 154 “fragments” of bodies. The bodies have been flown to Moscow to be identified.

On December 25, the plane with 92 people on board, including journalists, military staff, musicians from the Alexandrov Ensemble and an official army choir of the Russian armed forces, went off the radar soon after taking off from Sochi. The Tu-154 plane did not check in with air traffic control at its scheduled time of 5.40 am (local), after taking off at 5.20 am. The plane was flying over the Black Sea when it disappeared. The flight, which was classified as not being civilian, was heading to Latakia, Syria.</s>(CNN) -- One of the two black boxes on a Russian military jet that crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people on board has been found, the country's Defense Ministry said Tuesday, according to the state-run Sputnik news agency.

The flight data recorder will be sent to a central research institute in Lyubertsy, where officials hope to get some insight into why the Tupolev Tu-154 plunged into the sea shortly after takeoff from Sochi on Sunday morning.

The flight data recorder was found 1,600 meters from the shore at a depth of 17 meters, the ministry said in a statement, as rescuers carry out a massive search operation in the sea.

The other black box -- the cockpit voice recorder -- is still missing.

The ministry has said there are probably no survivors.

Those on board included 64 musicians from the army's official choir, the Alexandrov Ensemble; nine reporters; the head of the Spravedlivaya Pomoshch charity, Elizaveta Glinka; two federal civil servants; and eight crew members.

The choir was flying to Syria to perform for Russian air force pilots during the holiday season, the Defense Ministry has said.

Glinka was taking medicine and other supplies to a local hospital in Syria, her colleague and friend Dr. Sergey Kurkov told CNN affiliate RBC.

Terrorism was not a likely cause of the crash, Kremlin spokesman Dimitri Peskov said Monday.

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said it was assumed the plane had crashed due to technical malfunction or pilot error.

The plane had taken off from Moscow and was headed to the Russian Hmeymim airbase in Latakia, Syria, where Russia has a large military presence. En route to Syria, the plane landed in Sochi to refuel.

Divers found the jet's fuselage about a mile offshore in the sea at the depth of 27 meters, RIA Novosti reported.

Thirteen bodies and 150 pieces of debris have been recovered so far, the Itar-Tass news agency reported, citing a source in security agencies.

About 3,500 people are taking part in the search, while 39 ships and cutters, 135 divers, seven deep-water vehicles and several aircraft have been deployed.

CNN's Susannah Cullinane, Ashley Fantz,, Max Blau and Sarah Sirgany contributed to this report.</s>The Latest on the crash of a Russian aircraft with 92 people on board en route to Russia's air base in Syria (all times local):

The loss of so many talented colleagues is devastating to members of the Russian Defense Ministry choir who did not get on the plane that crashed into the Black Sea.

The choir was on its way to perform a New Year's concert at a Russian air base in Syria when their plane crashed Sunday right after takeoff from Sochi. All 92 people aboard are presumed dead.

Vadim Ananyev, a soloist for the Alexandrov Ensemble, had gotten permission to skip the concert to help his wife as they just had a new baby.

Ananyev tells The Associated Press "I have lost my friends and colleagues, all killed, all five soloists — I feel in complete disarray."

He says "it is such a shame. I have known these people for 30 years. I know their wives and children. I feel terrible for the children and for all that I have lost."

Ananyev says he has received condolences from all over Russia and from abroad.

People are bringing flowers to the office of the Russian choir whose members have died in a plane crash over the Black Sea as Russia holds a day of mourning.

All 84 passengers and eight crew on the Russian military's Tu-154 plane are believed dead after it crashed shortly after takeoff from the southern Russian city of Sochi. The passengers included dozens of singers in Russia's world-famous military choir, nine Russian journalists and Russian doctor known for her work in war zones.

Red and white carnations have piled up at tables outside the Moscow office of the Alexandrov Ensemble, which was to have performed at a New Year's concert at the Russian base in Syria. Mourners also lit candles and brought flowers to Channel One and NTV, whose TV journalists were going to Syria to cover the concert, and to a charity founded by Dr. Yelizaveta Glinka, who was on the plane bringing medicines to Syria.

Russian TV channels have taken entertainment shows off their programs and outdoor seasonal celebrations have been scrapped across Russia.

Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov says a pilot error or a technical fault are likely to blame for Sunday's crash of a Russian Tu-154 carrying 92 passengers and crew. The military plane crashed into the Black Sea on its way from the southern Russian city of Sochi to Syria.

Among its passengers were members of the world-famous Russian army choir who planned to perform at a New Year's concert at the Russian military base in Syria.

Russian emergency crews are aiming to work all night searching the Black Sea off Sochi for victims and plane debris after a Russian Tu-154 carrying 92 passengers and crew crashed right after takeoff before dawn.

More than 3,000 people — including over 100 divers flown in from across Russia — were working Sunday from 32 ships and several helicopters to search the crash site, the Defense Ministry said. Drones and submersibles were being used to help spot bodies and debris. Powerful spotlights were brought in so the search could go on around the clock.

Emergency crews found fragments of the plane about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from shore. By Sunday evening, rescue teams had recovered 11 bodies and Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said fragments of other bodies were also found.

The military plane was flying from the southern Russian city of Sochi to Syria. Among its passengers were members of the world-famous Russian army choir who planned to perform at a New Year's concert at the Russian military base in Syria.

Russia's transport minister says investigators are looking into all possible reasons why a Russian military plane crashed into the Black Sea with 92 people on board, including the option of a terror attack.

Earlier, a Russian official had downplayed any suggestion of a terror attack. But on Sunday afternoon, after being asked if investigators are looking into a possible terror attack, minister Maxim Sokolov said an "entire spectrum" of possible reasons is being considered.

He added it's premature to speculate about the cause of Sunday's crash.

The Tu-154 plane belonging to the Defense Ministry crashed into the Black Sea two minutes after takeoff Sunday morning from the Russian city of Sochi. The plane was heading to Syria, carrying members of the world-famous Russian army choir to a New Year concert at the Russian military base.

All aboard are believed to have died, and so far rescuers have recovered 10 bodies.
Eleven bodies have so far been recovered from the Black Sea from yesterday's military aircraft crash. All 92 people on board died.