Everyone in Sochi recognized the “Porshe” Jeep of Atom Kostanyan, who was one of the victims of the A-320 plane crash. They say that the large businessman from Yerevan, the monopolist in tuff production, head of the brandy factories and, as they say, close friend of President Robert Kocharyan, always loved traveling from Yerevan to Sochi and enjoyed staying there as a health resort. Each time he came, citizens of Sochi knew that the “Atomic” was coming.
This was his nickname in Sochi because he really knew the “art” of spending a good time. On that dreadful night, Atom and his friends left for Sochi “for a men’s party”. He had brought his wife and children from Sochi a couple of days before the accident. His wife didn’t want him to go to Sochi again, but Atom didn’t listen to her.
“I’ll be back soon,” he told her.
On May 3, at 2:00 a.m. Atom’s friends had set a “table” to greet his friend arriving to Sochi at the Sochi airport’s VIP hall…Atom’s body has already been transferred to Yerevan.
Arthur Tumasyan was one of the screenwriters of the “KVN” and “Comedy Club” shows, but the audience never recognized his face.
“He was a very kind, happy and talented person. Almost all the “KVN” groups that have become champions over the past ten years have worked with Arthur. His last work was the screenplay for a comedy film,” says Arthur’s friend and member of the “Comedy Club” Garik Martirosyan. Arthur was on a business trip in Yerevan and then decided to visit his wife Julia in Sochi. They say that Arthur usually traveled by train, but this time he decided to go on that unfortunate plane.
Thirty-four year old Mariam was departing for the city of Ochamchira to take part in some seminars. This was also a chance to see her relatives in Sochi. Her family tried to convince her not to go, but Mariam told them that she had promised to go. Mariam had a hard time trying to get her 2-year old son Tigran to go to sleep before heading out the door at night. Her relatives say that Tigran got up in the middle of the night and ran around the house, probably in search of his mother.
Head of the “Zvartnots” airport VIP department Albert Azaryan forced his wife and daughter to stay in the house until the last minute and not to go with him to Sochi. They had decided to go to Sochi as a family in order to be present at the baptism of one of the family friends. When he had packed his luggage, Albert had said to them:
“There’s no need for all of us to go. We shouldn’t make the kid suffer on the airplane at night”.
Young graduate of the Sochi music school Hripsime Galstyan had always dreamed of becoming a pianist. Her professors were overwhelmed to find out that Hripsime had been accepted to the Yerevan State Conservatory after her first tryouts.
“I’m coming back on the first flight,” she told her relatives in Armenia on the phone.
That was her last call. From now on, her portrait will be hung with decorations on the wall of the music school.
“She will be the guardian angel of all our students,” say the school administrators.
It turns out that there have actually been many calls before the plane disappeared out of sight. On that day, Hakob Hakobyan was with his father at the Adler airport, waiting to welcome his mother.
“She called us 10 minutes before the crash and told us that the plane would soon land. She said that her sound on the phone was “fading”. She sounded so happy on the phone”…says Hakob.
It is worth mentioning that there are others who claim that there had been calls minutes before the crash. However, many deny that, claiming that it was “technically” impossible. But as we can see, that was technically possible. According to experts, it is actually possible to talk to people on land as the plane is preparing for a landing. Let’s not forget to mention that, according to our sources, Carlos Petrosyan’s son Aram was talking to his father on the phone at that moment, but his sound was cut off at the last minute. As for Benjamin Khachatryan, he felt that the plane was going to crash and called his friend just in time to tell him to “take care of his children”.