On March 8th, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) published its final investigation results of the “A-320” plane crash of “Armavia” airlines as it was approaching Sochi last year.
The IAC had published its preliminary conclusion back in July 2006 and the new one doesn’t differ in any way from the previous one. In the preliminary conclusion, IAC had “blamed” the pilots for the plane crash and that opinion still hasn’t changed.
“During the maneuver, the flying control officer turned off the systems and engines of the plane and after gaining height and losing control, steered the plane downwards,” as stated in the IAC final investigation results. In the case of such activities of the flying control officer there also lacked the necessary control of the second pilot for the landing parameters (vertical slant, altitude, speed). The staff’s activities did not go as planned; the work was uncoordinated and signals were not enough in order to evade the plane crash as it approached the land”.
After the publication of the preliminary conclusion, the Armenian side proposed to the IAC to find out why the flying control officer was unable to do his job at that time. Perhaps the pilot had health problems and could not steer the plane in the right direction during the final seconds before the air crash. Besides that, the Chief Department of Civil Aviation had made an announcement about that document in its observation, proposing to investigate further in detail about the landing of the Armenian plane and the activities and warnings of the dispatchers during the moment the plane crashed. Meanwhile, the IAC had simply attached the observations of the Armenian side to its conclusion and had not conducted research on that. It is clear that it was not a matter of discussion after that. The committee showed the Armenian side’s document seven months later and now the Armenian side can’t do anything. This time the press service of the General Department of Civil Aviation informed that they disagreed with sending the observation package. Doesn’t the “Armavia” airline company, which was the owner of the “A-320” plane, want to discuss the IAC conclusion?
“We still have not officially received that document and we can’t make any comment based on press releases,” answered vice-director of the company Ilarion Gharibyan.
It was clear from the start that the blame was going to be thrown on the deceased pilots. We could sense that by hearing the announcements and releases of the Russian side. It was also clear from the beginning that the Armenian side was supposed to have its own plan of action-how to call the IAC conclusion in question. But we knew beforehand that Armenia would accept whatever the IAC or Russia said and Armenia would pretend to oppose. That’s exactly what happened. But the relatives of the victims and especially deceased pilots don’t agree with conformity.
“We have requested another investigation,” said Mrs. Lena, widow of one of the control officers of “A-320” Grigor Grigoryan. “It is an international, independent organization and has been around for the past three months. They informed us that they are going to collect the data regarding the plane crash and then start the investigation. The company experts suspect that the plane crash took place because the plane was unequipped.”
If you recall, during the first days of the plane crash the Armenian side denied the hypothesis that the plane crashed because it was unequipped. That variant was then defended in the IAC conclusion. But during that time, that variant was spread non-officially. There was an opinion that the Armenian and Russian sides participating in the investigation had come to terms with the French “Airbus” company to exclude the “unequipped” hypothesis from the very beginning. Ten months have passed since the terrible “A-320” plane crash and during that time, no investigation figured out why the plane crashed. There were different hypotheses heard during those days, but they picked the most hands-free choice: blame the deceased. They can’t tell the truth and defend themselves. In any case, the public is still of the opinion that the reasons for the plane crash are kept secret and the ones responsible still haven’t been brought to justice. Let’s recall that a criminal case was brought up both in the Russian and Armenian General Prosecutor’s offices. The General Prosecutor’s office of Armenia replied that the case is under investigation and they are waiting for the final IAC conclusion in order to give their conclusion. The General Prosecutor’s office will probably quash the case upon receiving the conclusion of the IAC because after all, the “guilty” are deceased.