Tu-154 Crash Kills All 92 On Board (Updated)
A Russian military aircraft carrying 91 people, including a band heading to entertain troops in Syria, disappeared Christmas Day over the Black Sea.
A Russian military aircraft carrying 92 people, including the Red Army Choir heading to entertain troops in Syria, crashed Christmas Day into the Black Sea. The Tu-154 took off from Sochi just after 5 a.m. Moscow time and disappeared from radar a short time later. It was carrying 84 passengers, including 64 members of the Alexandrov military band, which was to play a concert at the Russian air base in Syria.
Interfax was reporting the crash site had been located but the Russian government had not yet confirmed that. There were also nine journalists on the plane. The crash sent Russia into a state of mourning and most television stations switched from entertainment programming to nonstop coverage of the recovery effort. President Vladimir Putin promised a thorough investigation but terrorism is not thought to be a factor. The Tu-154 is a three-engine airliner that's been in service since the 1960s. It's been a workhorse of both airlines and military and is in widespread service in Russia. The crash airplane was 33 years old but had been recently serviced and the crew was experienced.