Search of PF aircraft crashed in Tatarskiy Strait suspended

11.01.2010 Source: RIA Novosti, photo: Tu-142M3 (vesti.ru)

Rescuers engaged in SR operation of Pacific Fleet's (PF) aircraft which crashed in Tatarskiy Strait on Nov 6 suspended the operation for indefinite period due to beginning of ice drift in the Sea of Okhotsk, reported Monday RIA Novosti citing representative of PF Information and Public Relations Service.

ASW aircraft Tu-142M3 performing training mission on Nov 6 fell down in Tatarskiy Strait which separates Sakhalin Island from the continent. There were 11 men on board the aircraft. The search and rescue operation began right after communication with pilots was lost. Rescuers determined exact site of air disaster.

Investigation panel of Ministry of Defense considers three main causes of the accident: equipment failure, human factor and bird strike. The criminal case was initiated under clause 351 of RF Criminal Code ("Violation of flight rules and pre-flight instructions").

"What we have now at the search area is huge drift ice. That significantly complicates SR activities; work of divers and ship crews has become hazardous to life and equipment. In this connection we decided to suspend search for indefinite period, just until the ice situation improves", said the interviewee.

According to him, during 2-month long operation rescuers managed to determine exact site of the air crash, detect and pick up hundreds of large and small fragments; among them are engines, wings and a piece of fuselage.

"In total, about 10 tonnes of different aircraft wreckages has been lifted so far. Unfortunately, experts have not found bodies of aircrew and blackboxes yet", specified the spokesman.

According to him, deep-sea remotely controlled submersibles, bathyscaph crew and two rescue vessels were engaged in the SR operation.

It was previously reported that about thousand unidentified objects found; among them were aircraft fragments as well. Rescuers had to explore each object to find all aircraft wreckage. Divers, bathyscaph crew and remotely controlled deep-sea submersibles has already explored a half of them.

Vice Admiral Konstantin Sidenko, PF Commander personally controls social welfare of families of aircrew died at air disaster.

All wives of died aircrew are subsidized by Pacific Fleet.

PF command considers the matter to provide families of died aircrew with comfortable dwelling in regions they want to live in. A monument would be fixed up at Kamenny Ruchei base in remembrance of one of the best PF aircrews.

Khabarovsky Krai's Ministry of Social Protection set up an off-budget donation fund in Khabarovsk branch of Federal Treasury for families of naval aircrew of Tu-142 failed to return home.