31.10 crashed. A year ago, a plane carrying Russian tourists exploded over Sinai. Almost a year later

31.10.2015 - 19:59

Egypt News. A tragedy that claimed 224 lives. There were 200 adults, 17 children and 7 crew members on board the plane. The bodies of those killed in the disaster began to be delivered to the Zenhom mortuary in Cairo on Saturday evening.

A search and rescue operation continues at the site of the Russian airliner crash in Egypt.

Let us recall that a passenger plane flying from resort town Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, . The airliner disappeared from radar screens less than half an hour after takeoff. Before this, the car suddenly began to lose altitude.

According to the latest data, 220 Russians, three Ukrainians and three died in the disaster.

It is already known that most of the passengers on the ill-fated flight were from St. Petersburg. Each line on the list of victims has its own story. Some were on vacation in Egypt, some were celebrating a wedding anniversary, some were celebrating a birthday. By and large, many came to hot country as tourists.

Literally half an hour before the tragedy, this photo appeared on the page of a resident of St. Petersburg.

A beloved husband holds his beloved daughter in his arms. Their family turned four years old on October 27. Olga and Yuri, according to friends, were an incredibly happy couple, they valued and respected each other. Three nice children were born in love (all three were on vacation with mom and dad in Egypt). They loved to travel and preferred beach activities.

Olga Sheina with her daughter

In July we vacationed in Cyprus; we had long planned a trip to Egypt for October.

Tatiana and Alexey Gromov

As Tatyana wrote on her page on the social network, “ flew off to warm up" This was their first trip as a family. Before the flight from St. Petersburg, the happy mother took this photo.

Darina rests her hands on the glass and carefully examines the plane.

The grandmother of the “main passenger” did not want to let her granddaughter go to Egypt, saying that she was still just a baby, let her grow up a little. Darina’s parents insisted: “ Mom, nothing will happen. We'll soak our feet in the sea and come back».

Darina Gromova

The day before, Alexey called home and said that this vacation was the best and most significant, because the first trip “ full staff».

His father was a military pilot. Alexey wanted to follow in his dad's footsteps, but changed his mind. As a result, he built a career in an IT company.

Tatiana and Alexey Gromov

« They seemed the happiest in the world. Both their eyes shone with happiness“- this is what colleagues say

about 62-year-old Alexander Kopylov, deputy head of Pskov, and his wife Elena.

On October 27, the woman celebrated her 53rd birthday. The trips to Egypt were a gift from the husband in honor of his wife’s birthday.

Elena’s daughter, like dozens of daughters and sons whose lives were forever taken by the ill-fated flight from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, refuses to believe what happened.

Among the passengers Airbus aircraft A321 turned out to be Elena Domashnyaya, a participant in the popular TV show “Top Model in Russian”.

Colleague of Elena Domashnaya on the project “Top Model in Russian”. Post on social networks

After the TV show, Lena did not give up modeling, continued to take part in photo projects, and received a diploma in journalism.

Elena Home

In two weeks the beauty would have turned 25 years old. The girl was planning a big celebration.

Elena flew to Egypt on vacation. She was accompanied by her friend and colleague Ksenia Ogorodova.

Ksenia Ogorodova

Ksenia called the autumn spent in paradise “ideal.” Palm trees, sea and sun. A few days ago, a girl boasted that she experienced rain for the first time in Egypt.

One of the Egyptian photographs of Ksenia Ogorodova shows how four young guys throw a girl, probably Ksenia herself, into a pool, and two fall after her. " Rescue of a drowning man. Very cheerful Polish families that don't let you get burned“- this is how the girl signed this photo.

This shot was the last.

32-year-old Katya Murashova was a participant in the beauty contest among married women - “Mrs. Pskov 2014”.

Ekaterina Murashova

As Catherine’s friends say, traveling was literally the meaning of her life. She worked in the state department of social protection of the Pskov region, and free time dedicated to trips with family to different countries and cities. " Very sociable, open and kind person“- this is how Katya’s colleagues characterize her.

Nikolay Korolev, organizer of the beauty contest (Pskov Information Agency):
She was a loving mother and an optimistic person. Catherine always did everything well. She was a persistent, hardworking, kind and sympathetic woman. Even without winning the competition, she was not upset, because the process of growth and self-development was important to her. I remember her as a loving mother - she and her daughter had a very warm relationship. She was an optimistic, cheerful woman who loved life.

Ironically, one of the last entries left by Ekaterina Murashova on her social network page is an airplane icon and a song with the sad and, as it turned out, prophetic title “I know that I will not return.”

At the age of 27, the life of Alina Gaydamak from St. Petersburg was cut short.

Alina Gaydamak

Finland, Estonia, Cyprus, Thailand. The girl visited a dozen countries and dreamed of visiting as many more, definitely no less. A trip to Egypt appeared spontaneously in her plans.

Alina went on a trip to Israel. On the way back, I decided to fly through Egypt.

Elena and Alexander

The anniversary was celebrated in Egypt. The family planned to return home on October 31 in order to complete preparations for another significant date. On November 1, Elena would have turned 35 years old.

Desperate hope “what if it’s a mistake?” Relatives and friends of the Belarusian Roman Seredinsky live.

A 28-year-old young man was awarded a trip to Egypt for Good work. Nobody could have imagined that the holiday would end in such a tragedy.

Roman Seredinsky

Natalya Melnichenko has known Roma since school. We studied together from first grade. He remembers how we went on excursions around memorable places Belarus, went hiking and to the river. About 10 years ago, a childhood friend left for St. Petersburg. All this time .

Natalya Melnichenok, classmate of Roman Seredinsky:
Roma was and will always remain a good, cheerful person for us.

The son of the dean of the St. Petersburg School of Economics and Management was vacationing at the resort with his beloved Alexandra.

On her Instagram page, Sasha Illarionova shared her impressions and posted photographs of the underwater world. Lenya and Sasha have recently become seriously interested in diving.

A week ago, Olga Kirillova enthusiastically told her friends that there was nothing better in the world than a vacation at sea.

Olga Kirillova

She calmly endured the heat and more than once noted how the sun adored her. The girl always came home with a luxurious tan.

In numerous photos she is smiling. Olga loved when people around her smiled, and then work was a pleasure. She made magnificent bouquets of flowers, and customers left enthusiastic comments on her social media pages.

One of Olga's last works

In Egypt, Olga Kirillova was vacationing with her best friend, 25-year-old Zhenya Sologubova.

They said about them, “do not spill water.” Indeed, the friendship between the girls was the strongest. " The most important thing in any vacation is good company.“, the girlfriends asserted.

Evgenia Sologubova

On the last day spent at the resort, Evgenia left a note on her online page with the words “ out of range” and several graphic emoticons. The girl, of course, said that she was out of the zone for the duration of the flight.

21-year-old table tennis coach Evgeny Yavsin was on vacation in Egypt with his girlfriend Alexandra Chernova.

Evgeny Yavsin and Alexandra Chernova

Evgeniy Yavsin

For their wards, friends and relatives, the news that the cheerful and purposeful Zhenya and Sasha were no more came as a real shock.

As Russian publications report, citing friends of the couple, Evgeniy invited Alexandra to relax in Egypt in order to propose to her.

« Wonderful friendly family“- this is how the Golenkov family from St. Petersburg was remembered.

Vladimir and Victoria Golenkov took their granddaughter Diana with them to the warm sea. In September the baby turned four years old.

Olesya Kosorukova from Novgorod is sure that time cannot be reconciled with pain. Her mother Natalya Rostenko was on board the Airbus A321.

In August, the woman retired and promised her family that she would take a little rest and upon her return she would help with her grandchildren. Natalia has five of them.

Natalya Rostenko during one of the trips

She vacationed in Sharm el-Sheikh seven times, was delighted with the resort and planned to return here in January to celebrate her birthday.

« I never thought that Egypt would evoke so many positive emotions in me. Do I want to live here? No. Will I come back here? Necessarily", wrote on Thursday evening

A 24-year-old resident of St. Petersburg on her social network page.

Victoria Sevryukova shared photos from the trip with her virtual friends. The girl enjoyed life and literally accompanied every photo with the hashtags “happiness is here” and “I don’t want to leave.”

Friends remember: Vika always traveled with her favorite pink suitcase.

Victoria Sevryukova

This thing seemed to confirm: the hostess is never in a bad mood.

Alexey and Oksana Semakova are another married couple who have registered on board.

The Semakovs 

News of Ukraine. Ukraine has announced Iran’s agreement to transfer to it the black boxes of the Boeing shot down on January 8, reported the “24 Hours” News program on STV. In mid-February, Iran's Foreign Minister said that the country did not have the technical capabilities to decipher them.

Therefore, Tehran decided that it would send the flight recorders to Kyiv with subsequent transfer to France if additional examination was required.

Let us remind you that a Ukrainian International Airlines passenger plane crashed after taking off from Tehran airport. 176 people died. Iran admitted that it shot down the plane by mistake - two missiles were fired at the airliner.

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On October 31, 2015, a Russian aircraft Airbus A321 of Kogalymavia Airlines (Metrojet), operating flight 9268 Sharm el-Sheikh - St. Petersburg, .

On instructions from the President, the Russian government in connection with the disaster, headed by Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov. The Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) was under the leadership of the executive director of the committee, Viktor Sorochenko.

Cairo immediately after the disaster about the opportunity to take part in the investigation of the tragedy. A special commission of investigation was created, including: Russia, Egypt, France (the state of the aircraft’s developer), Germany (the state of the airliner’s manufacturer) and Ireland (the state of registration). Ayman al-Muqaddam was appointed head of the commission to investigate the disaster.

On November 1, 2015, Egyptian Prosecutor General Nabil Ahmed Sadek invited Russian specialists to participate in the investigation into the causes of the crash of a Russian plane in the Sinai Peninsula.

A group of investigators and criminologists from the central office of the Investigative Committee of Russia, in agreement with the competent authorities and together with representatives of the Republic of Egypt, in accordance with the norms of national and international law, participated in the inspection of the scene of the plane crash in Egypt.

November 17, 2015, the head of the FSB of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bortnikov, during a meeting in the Kremlin on the results of the investigation into the causes of the crash Russian plane that as a result of an examination of personal belongings, luggage and parts of the plane that crashed in Egypt, traces of foreign-made explosives were identified. He .

In turn, the Egyptian authorities urged not to rush to conclusions. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that as part of a criminal investigation.

In March 2016, the International Commission of Inquiry into the crash of the Russian A321 aircraft announced that it had received an official report from the Investigative Committee of Russia and transferred it to the Egyptian Prosecutor General's Office to complete legal procedures. The commission itself, despite the transfer of the case to the investigative authorities of the country's state security, continued the technical examination of the wreckage of the airliner.

In mid-April, Egypt's Prosecutor General Nabil Sadek announced the transfer of the case of the Russian plane crash to the country's High State Security Prosecutor's Office. The decision of the head of the supervisory agency, as noted in the text of the statement, was made on the basis of data from the report of the Investigative Committee of Russia, “which indicates a suspicion of the presence of a criminal trail.”

In June, CIA Director John Brennan, speaking in the US Senate, said that American intelligence has information about the involvement of the Egyptian group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which swore allegiance to a terrorist movement banned in many countries, in the explosion on a Russian passenger plane A321. Islamic State" (an organization banned in the Russian Federation), and on August 4, the Egyptian Ministry of Defense announced the elimination of the leader of this terrorist group.

At the insistence of the Investigative Committee of Russia, an international commission to investigate the aviation accident. As a result of the work carried out, the fact of the influence of high-energy elements on the skin of the aircraft in the “inside-out” direction and “explosive decompression” in flight was established.

In October 2016, an investigation commission formed by the Egyptian Prosecutor General's Office sent twelve pieces of the aircraft to a scientific alloys laboratory for a detailed study.

Work to determine the causes of the crash. To date, the parties have no understanding of what happened to the plane, how the explosive device got on board the plane, or who carried it. There are also no identified suspects or their accomplices from among the airport employees.

Today's disaster in Egypt has become the largest in terms of the number of victims in the history of modern Russia. Let us recall other serious losses in emergencies involving Russian aircraft:

170 people class="_">(160 passengers and 10 crew members) died on August 22, 2006 in a plane crash near the village of Sukhaya Balka (Donetsk region, Ukraine). The Tu-154 aircraft of Pulkovo Airlines was flying from Anapa to St. Petersburg. The cause of the disaster was the incorrect actions of the crew in difficult weather conditions, as a result of which the plane fell into a flat tailspin.

145 people class="_"> (136 passengers, 9 crew members) died on July 3, 2001 when a Tu-154 was landing at Irkutsk airport. The plane of the Vladivostok-Avia airline was flying Vladivostok – Irkutsk – Yekaterinburg. The cause of the disaster was recognized as the erroneous actions of the crew.

141 people class="_">, including 11 crew members, died on August 29, 1996 in the crash of a Tu-154M of Vnukovo Airlines, flying on the route Moscow - Longyearbyen (Spitsbergen). During landing, the plane crashed into Mount Opera, 14.2 km from the airport. The cause of the disaster was crew error.

125 people class="_">(116 passengers, 9 crew members and 1 person on the ground) died on January 3, 1994 near Irkutsk as a result of a Tu-154M plane crash of Baikal Airlines, which was flying to Moscow. 3.5 minutes after takeoff, one of its engines caught fire. The pilots turned the plane back to Irkutsk, but it lost control and crashed into a dairy farm. The cause of the disaster was said to be technical problems.

125 people class="_"> (120 passengers, 5 crew members) died on the night of July 9, 2006 when landing in Irkutsk Airbus A310 of Siberia Airlines, flying from Moscow. The plane skidded off the runway, crashed into nearby garages and exploded. The reason was the erroneous actions of the crew.

52 people class="_"> (46 passengers, 6 crew members) died on November 17, 2013 in international airport Kazan. Boeing-737-500 operated a flight on the route Moscow - Kazan. The airliner crashed during landing. Among the dead are the son of the President of Tatarstan, the head of the FSB Directorate of Tatarstan and the family of the famous sports commentator Roman Skvortsov.

44 people class="_"> (36 passengers, 8 crew) died on September 7, 2011. The Yak-42 airliner was transporting the Lokomotiv hockey team from Yaroslavl to Minsk. During the takeoff run, the plane rolled off the runway and took off from the ground 400 meters beyond the end of the runway. The flight lasted several seconds: the airliner gained a height of no more than 5–6 meters, then collided with a radio beacon, crashed into the ground on the bank of the Tunoshonka River and exploded. Some of the debris and the tail fell into the river.

Experts are still arguing about what became cause of the plane crash October 31, 2015 in Egypt. On this moment There are several versions of what happened, but none of them have been reliably confirmed. It is known that it fell apart in the air at a high altitude. This version, which was presented by the IAC, was confirmed by the Federal Air Transport Agency. This is evidenced by the nature of the scattering of debris in the area.

The plane, which was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, crashed for unknown reasons on the morning of October 31. 21 minutes after takeoff, the plane reached an altitude of 10,210 meters and a speed of 748 km/h, and just a minute later it reached 8,649 meters and its speed was 172 km/h. 22 minutes after takeoff, the airliner stopped transmitting data, and its mark disappeared from radar. The wreckage of Airbus A321 was found on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. The plane crash site is an ellipse 8 kilometers long and 6 kilometers wide. This suggests that the destruction of the aircraft occurred at a high altitude. A thorough study of the plane crash site is currently underway. The “black boxes” were found, but decryption has not yet begun.

Experts, having analyzed the data available at the moment, suggest three versions of what happened. According to experts, the plane's body burst due to pressure drop. The sudden pressure drop that led to the depressurization and destruction of the airliner could have occurred due to detached engine parts, fatigue cracks in the supporting structures, or due to a shock wave from an explosive device. To establish the exact cause, confirm or refute these assumptions, experts must collect all the wreckage of the Airbus and display it in the hangar. At this stage of the investigation, neither version can yet be ruled out. It is also worth noting that experts refuted the version that the plane could have been shot down from the ground using MANPADS, since the plane was flying at an altitude unattainable for this weapon. However, experts are in no hurry to completely discount the terrorist attack on the A321, since it is unknown whether radical militants have more powerful air defense systems.

Experts pay special attention to the incident that occurred with this aircraft in 2001. Then the Airbus A321, when landing in Cairo, hit the runway with its tail. After that, the plane was bought Turkish airline Onur Air, and in 2012 the aircraft was put into operation by Kogalymavia. Experts do not exclude that the damage that was received in 2001 could have played a fatal role in the crash on October 31, 2015. Hidden damage in the tail section, which was invisible from the outside, could fail under the influence of time or under the influence of an increase in load, as a result of which the plane began to fall apart.

The plane crashed on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt on October 31, 2015. Airbus 321, which was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, crashed 23 minutes after takeoff. 217 passengers and seven crew members died.

A motley crowd of tourists, bright undersea world, attracting divers from all over the world - all this attracts travelers. Russians were eager to go there as if they were going to a second dacha: at least a week to rest from work and bask in the sun. Whole families flew until the plane crash in Egypt on October 31, 2015 forced the entire country to shudder.

Tragic accident

The Brisco tourist group was returning by charter flight from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. Despite the early morning (departure at 5.50 local time), the passengers were in excellent spirits. They posted pictures of their successful vacation on social networks. It was Saturday, and on Monday many had to plunge into work; some had work, others had to study.

The Airbus A321-231 EI-ETJ airliner, which arrived from Samara, took 217 passengers on board. They and seven crew members were to be in Northern capital, where many relatives and friends were waiting at the airport. Having reached a given altitude of 9400 meters in 23 minutes, at a speed of 520 km/h the aircraft suddenly disappeared from the radar. At 6.15 (7.15 Moscow) the plane crashed in the Sinai Peninsula near El-Arish airport - the hottest spot in Egypt, where government troops were confronted by Al-Qaeda Islamists.

Versions of the tragedy

Those meeting flight 9268 at Pulkovo Airport anxiously watched the board, which displayed the information: “Arrival delayed.” And by evening, the whole country knew that the wreckage of the aircraft that had disappeared from radar had been discovered by the Egyptian authorities. Scattered over a length of 13 kilometers, with the tail section torn off, they were shown on television, which gave rise to many versions of experts about possible reasons disasters. Three were considered the most reliable:

• Technical problems associated either with engine failure or metal fatigue. In the tail section, traces of skin repairs were found after the aircraft touched the asphalt with its tail while landing at Cairo airport in 2001. The resulting microcrack could cause the destruction of the aircraft as it climbed.
• The plane crash in Egypt was caused by the crew's mistakes.
• Terrorist act.

The IAC commission, headed by Egyptian representative Ayman al-Mukkadam, began working at the site of the tragedy. It included representatives of Russia, France, Germany, the USA and Ireland. After studying the evidence and decoding, the first two versions were found unfounded.

Aircraft

The A321 crash over the Sinai Peninsula was the largest in the history of Egypt and modern Russia. The airbus belonged to the Kogalymavia company, which underwent a thorough inspection. It was found that after the 2001 emergency, the aircraft was repaired in France at the manufacturer's plant, after which all the necessary tests were carried out. Over 18 years of operation, the airliner flew less than 50% of its service life (57,428 hours) and was in good condition. This is evidenced by weekly technical checks, the last of which was carried out on October 26, 2015. The flight recorders did not detect any system malfunction. Until the 23rd minute, the flight proceeded quite normally.

Crew

Forty-eight-year-old crew commander Valery Nemov is a graduate of SVAAULSH (Stavropol Military School). He is one of the few who, in the difficult 90s, retrained to fly on Airbuses since 2008, having 12 thousand flight hours, which testifies to his enormous experience. The second pilot also came from military aviation, being a veteran of the Chechen campaign. After retiring, Sergei Trukhachev retrained on the A321, having undergone training in the Czech Republic. I flew them for more than 2 years. The total flight time was 6 thousand hours. Both pilots were in good standing with their airline. Nemov was even called back from vacation prematurely to be sent on the infamous flight 9268.

Official version

Two weeks after the tragedy, the version of the terrorist attack was officially voiced by the head of the FSB during a meeting with the President of the Russian Federation. To support his words, he provided the following evidence:

1. American satellites recorded a thermal flash over Sinai during the disaster, which indicates an explosion occurred on board the plane.
2. The fuselage fragment has a hole with a diameter of about one meter. Its edges are curved outward. This indicates that the source of the explosion was inside.
3. When decoding the recorder recording the negotiations, before the recording is interrupted, extraneous noise is heard, the nature of which can be attributed to a blast wave.
4. The plane crash in Egypt caused great public outcry. After a while, they not only admitted responsibility for the terrorist attack, but also posted a photo of an improvised explosive device (IED) on the pages of Dabig magazine.
5. Some of the victims had injuries indicating death from the consequences of the explosion (burns, tissue ruptures).
6. Traces of explosives - TNT molecules - were found in fragments of shrapnel, luggage and on the bodies of the victims.

The power of the explosion was estimated at 1 kilogram. The estimated location of the IED is the tail of the aircraft. For the blast wave moved forward, but the fracture of the fuselage prevented its further advancement.

Plane crash in Egypt: who is to blame?

After the Russian version appeared, it became known that 17 employees were detained at the Egyptian airport. The main question was one: “How did the IED get on board the airliner?” The FSB began studying the biographies of 34 passengers (11 men and 23 women) who had TNT molecules on their bodies. But official Egypt soon stated that there was no evidence for a clear statement about a terrorist attack on board the plane. None of the employees were actually arrested. Russian authorities have announced a $50 million reward for any information about the terrorists.

Only in February 2016 did the Egyptian President officially acknowledge the terrorist attack. It was discovered that the bomb was made from plasticite, which is used to create military projectiles. It is powered by a clock mechanism. The plane crash in Egypt on October 31, 2015 showed that the airport security system does not meet international standards. The IED could have gotten on board with the company supplying the products through employees with access to the runway, as well as through hand luggage during baggage check. The latest data is that what was in the cabin was close proximity from place 31A. All these facts led to a ban on the sale of holiday tours in Egypt.

Flight passengers

EI-ETJ - the last digits of the Airbus number. According to them, the aviators called the board “Juliet” among themselves, affectionately “Dzhulka”. On that tragic morning, she broke up three aviation marriages and killed a young steward who replaced a colleague who had quit due to a bad dream. It also took the lives of 217 passengers, 25 of whom were children. Those killed in a plane crash in Egypt are entire families, dozens of destroyed love stories, babies who will never grow up. Ten-month-old Darina Gromova was on this flight with her parents. Her mother posted her photo on social network before departure. A girl stands at the airport facing the runway, and below is the signature: “Main Passenger.” This picture became a symbol of the tragic flight from which no one was able to return.

Almost all passengers are Russians, 4 people are citizens of Ukraine, 1 is from Belarus. The majority are residents of St. Petersburg, although there are also representatives of other regions: Pskov, Novgorod, Ulyanovsk. Those killed in the plane crash in Egypt are people of various professions. Even while relatives were busy identifying the bodies, caring people were forming a collective portrait of the passengers, collecting information about them bit by bit. A wonderful gallery was created, where there were many good words about everyone.

Almost a year later

On July 31, Moscow and St. Petersburg held a rally in memory of those killed over the Sinai. Nine months passed: many relatives received compensation, identified and buried their loved ones, but the pain did not subside. On August 5, 2016, a message was received that forty-five militants led by Abu Dua al-Ansari, through whose fault the plane crash occurred in Egypt, were killed during a military operation near El-Arish. I really want to believe that something like this will never happen again!