Experts seek to reconstruct events of plane crash in Magadan Region

KHABAROVSK, August 14 (Itar-Tass) — Members of the special commission of the Interstate Aviation Committee (MAC) and a group of 14 representatives of the Far Eastern transport investigative branch of the Russian Investigative Committee continue to work on Sunday at the place of air disaster of an AN-12 plane in the Magadan Region.

They try “to perceive the chain of events and reconstruct them” by the position of plane fragments, dispersed over a large area, and fragments of bodies of the dead, the investigative group said. Experts do not comment on the first conclusions and results of investigation into circumstances and reasons for the disaster that took the lives of 11 people.

The Far Eastern transport investigative branch said that “ the remains of the dead crewmembers and passengers of the plane are planned to be withdrawn next week. But it is unknown so far when they will be buried”. Relatives of the dead constantly call the phone numbers of “the hot line” of the Magadan branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. “Genetic examinations are evidently to be made,” psychologists explain to them.

The dispersal of the plane’s fragments over a large area can be evidence of the plane’s blast in the air as a result of a fire aboard. But this is only a version so far. Several versions of the disaster are examined, ranging from malfunction of the engine, including small leakages of fuel, which did not spook technicians during the pre-flight preparation of the aircraft, to mistakes in piloting and controlling the flight.

The An-12 transport plane was making the flight between Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Magadan and Keperveyem (Chukchi Autonomous Area). Soon after its take-off from the Magadan airport where the aircraft was refueled and serviced by technicians on board the plane, land air flight controllers received a report by the crew about a flare-up of one engine. The pilots requested an emergency landing, and the Magadan airport put all emergency services in the state of readiness.

But the communication with the plane went dead, and the aircraft disappeared from radars.

The plane’s place of the crash was spotted on August 10, nearly 24 hours after searching.

All six crewmembers were residents of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. There were also two technical specialists from Komsomolsk-on-Amur on board the plane, an instructor from Sakhalin and two people, accompanying the cargo to the Chukchi Peninsula.

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