Myths and facts about the tragedy of "Superjet"
The Russian aircraft Sukhoi SuperJet-100, which made a demonstration flight over Indonesia, in the morning of May 9 disappeared from radar screens. Only the next day, May 10, its fragments were found by a search and rescue team in the area of Mount Salak. On board the aircraft were 45 people, 8 of them - the Russians.
About the emergency with Superjet-100, blogger Sergey Dolya, who was in Jakarta as part of the Sukhoi delegation, was the first to tell on his Twitter account.
Shortly before the Superjet-100 disappeared from the radar, the liner commander requested permission to lower from a height of 10 thousands of feet (about 3 kilometers) to 6 thousands (about 1,8 kilometers). Permission he received, began to perform a U-turn and decline. Soon the connection with the board was interrupted. There was enough fuel on board for another two hours of flight, while the demonstration was calculated for half an hour, not more.
Nineteen hours of search gave the first result - small fragments of an aircraft were found on the slope of Mount Salak in the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. Rescue services arrived at the scene, the search began for the wreckage of the airliner, the bodies of the dead and, of course, flight recorders - the most important informants of what happened.
To clarify the circumstances of the incident, representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UAC), Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (GSS), as well as EMERCOM employees flew from Moscow to Jakarta.
On May 16, the aircraft SSJ100 cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was found and delivered to the Jakarta laboratory, board # 97004 (board # 97005 was previously replaced during demonstrations in Pakistan). In the presence of representatives of the Investigation Agency aviation The Ministry of Transport of Indonesia (KNKT) and a Russian team of experts in the laboratory opened the black box. A decision was made to remove information from the flight recorder based on KNKT in Indonesia. The Russian side provided the necessary hardware and software.
There are different versions of the causes of the Superjet-100 plane crash - from traditional (technical failure, weather conditions, pilot or controller error) to non-standard (terrorist attack, abduction of the liner). The latest version was probably put forward because the liner passed all possible checks before departure, and the emergency beacon did not send any signals on board.
One of the arguments in favor of the "non-standard" version may be information according to which, shortly before the crash, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft deviated from the intended route. This information was provided by the company Angusa Pura, which manages air traffic control, with air traffic controllers who coordinated the Superjet’s flight. According to the company, the airliner made a circle over the airbase of Atang Sanjava, located in 12 km from Mount Salak, then deviated from the flight route and after a while disappeared from the radar.
However, it seems suspicious that even at the initial stage of investigating the causes of the catastrophe, the Angasa Pura company immediately “started up such juice” for the media. Meanwhile, it was the Angusa Pure dispatchers who gave the pilots of the Russian airliner permission for a critical descent just a few seconds before the collision with Mount Salak. It is logical to assume that the company is trying to divert the attention of journalists from the version associated with the error of the air traffic controller.
In turn, First Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia Alexander Torshin put forward another version of what happened. He said that the cause of the disaster of the Russian airliner Sukhoi Superjet-100 in the mountains of Indonesia could be tough competition in the aviation market, so the likelihood of a terrorist attack cannot be ruled out.
"According to the information that goes through the media and on the Internet, this catastrophe raises many questions, and I think it is necessary to investigate all possible versions, including the terrorist act," Torshin said, adding that it was initially wrong to consider as the main versions technical failure and crew error. When all statements are inclined to believe that a mistake was made, it is very alarming, "- said the speaker. He believes that "this version is quite convenient, including for the Indonesian authorities." Emphasizing the fact that there is a very tough competition in the modern aviation market, Torshin believes that in this situation, “the question arises in its full height - to whom it is profitable.”
Indeed, the Superjet 100 has aroused great interest in the countries of the region, where air travel is booming. This is largely due to the fact that, according to Sukhoi, the fuel consumption of the Superjet 100 is on average 10% less than that of machines of a similar type. Another significant advantage of the car is that in conditions where not all airports in Southeast Asia are designed to receive liners like A-380 or large Boeing, the Russian Superjet 100 is well suited for use at existing airports. And, of course, the price. The development of Sukhoi as a whole is 8-10% cheaper than its competitors. And if we add to all such advantages of Russian aircraft, such as the recognized reliability, ease of operation and the presence of a developed system of technical services, then it becomes obvious that it is quite difficult for competitors to carry on with the Superjet.
It is worth noting that this airliner was previously recognized by experts "to meet all international standards in the field of civil aviation." The aircraft is certified by the Interstate Aviation Committee and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Simply put, the Superjet 100 passed all the necessary checks according to international standards and was recognized as technically sound.
For the image of the Superjet and the "Dry" incident in Indonesia, of course, will not pass unnoticed. Therefore, most likely, not to avoid various speculations on this subject, first of all, from competitors. However, one should not forget that this is not the first case of a crash during the demonstration of airliners that have gained popularity in the future. In any case, the commercial fate of the Superjet in the region will be decided only after the end of the investigation, which, according to preliminary data, may take up to a year.
The first and second pilots Alexander Yablontsev and Alexander Kochetkov, the navigator Oleg Shvetsov, engineers Alexey Kirkin and Denis Rakhimov, as well as employees of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (GSS) - head of the flight test center were among the Russians aboard SSJ-100. GSS complex Nikolay Martyshchenko, GSS sales director Evgeny Grebenshchikov and contract manager Christina Kurzhukova. Their bodies were found and delivered for burial to their homeland.
100 arrived in Jakarta Superjet 9 in May as part of a presentation tour of Asia, during which the Sukhoi leadership introduced representatives of the Asian market to the Russian development. Before Indonesia, the plane traveled to Myanmar, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, and after Indonesia, the airliner was supposed to fly to Laos and Vietnam.
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