Russian “versions”

12/05/2006

Besides the technical and climate factors, almost all experts also consider the “human” factor when stating the reasons for the plane crash. The behavior of the stewards/stewardesses has also been discussed. Should they have gone on with the flight, or did the head of the staff need to decide what to do during the time when the plane was going through heavy times? Expert commanding officer of the “A-320” plane Grigoryan had first decided to return to Yerevan, but as soon as the plane was flying over the city of Kutayis, he changed the course of direction by 180 degrees and continued going where the plane had to go. The experienced pilots (Armenian, Russian and Georgian) say that they could have told the commanding officer not to change the flight time.

It’s obvious that the Russian side is doing everything it can to throw the blame of the accident on the Armenian and Georgian sides. At least that’s what the Russian presses are saying as they discuss the different possible reasons for the crash. For example, the “Comerciant” newspaper published a version, according to which “one of the VIP passengers had asked the pilot to continue the flight because he didn’t want to change his schedule and didn’t realize how serious the situation was.” The newspaper added: “We will never know just how he (the VIP passenger) managed to influence the pilot with his threat/plead.” As to where “Comerciant” got the information from and whether or not the passenger with the “threat” was from the VIP section-that is simply based on predictions. However, it is worth mentioning that the hasty and illogical announcements on the part of Russia prove that there’s something strange going on there “Comericant” also writes:

“The altitude and speed of the plane corresponded to the norms, but flying the plane in difficult conditions, the passengers’ stubbornness and the complicated maneuvers could have had a negative psychological influence on the pilots. That is, of course, if it turns out that the version claiming that the plane was technically unequipped is true.”