Russian plane 'disappears from radar'

[milestogo]

Source: BBC

A Russian plane has disappeared from radar just minutes after take-off from the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russian media say.

They are quoting a source at the emergency ministry as saying the missing aircraft is a Tu-154. Between 70 and 100 people are reported to be on board the plane.

Unconfirmed reports say the aircraft belongs to the defence ministry, flying to Syria's Latakia province. Russian officials have so far made no comment. Interfax news agency reports quoted a source as saying that the plane disappeared from radar 20 minutes after take-off at 05:20 local time (02:20 GMT).

The aircraft went missing as it was manoeuvring over Russia's territorial waters, the source added.



Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38430164

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Sochi is where the 2014 Winter Olympics were held.

[rumdude]

1. Oh, sh*t...

[jimlup]

2. Damn! /nt

[milestogo]

3. Tu - 154 aircraft info

The Tupolev Tu-154 (Russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: Careless) is a three-engine medium-range narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian airlines for several decades, it carried half of all passengers flown by Aeroflot and its subsidiaries (137.5 million/year or 243.8 billion passenger km in 1990), remaining the standard domestic-route airliner of Russia and former Soviet states until the mid-2000s. It was exported to 17 non-Russian airlines and used as head-of-state transport by the air forces of several countries.

With a cruising speed of 975 kilometres per hour (606 mph), the Tu-154 is one of the fastest civilian aircraft in use and has a range of 5,280 kilometres (3,280 mi). Capable of operating from unpaved and gravel airfields with only basic facilities, it was widely used in the extreme Arctic conditions of Russia's northern/eastern regions where other airliners were unable to operate. Originally designed for a 45,000 hr service life (18,000 cycles) but capable of 80,000 hrs with upgrades, it is expected to continue in service until 2016, although noise regulations have restricted flights to western Europe and other regions.

In January 2010, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot announced the retirement of its Tu-154 fleet after 40 years, with the last scheduled flight being Aeroflot Flight 736 from Ekaterinburg to Moscow on 31 December 2009.

Since 1968 there have been 39 fatal incidents involving the Tu-154, most of which were caused either by factors unrelated to the aircraft, or by its extensive use in demanding conditions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-154

[jimlup]

4. They will now have to start a search and rescue operation

hoping for survival.

[milestogo]

5. Search operation is underway - there were 91 souls on board.

Reports suggest a military music band and reporters were among those on board the aircraft.

[jimlup]

6. Checked the light. Sunrise so they should have visibility

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/imagery/earth/map?year=2016&month=12&day=25&hour=05&minute=37

[Warpy]

7. Watching Rossiya24 now

and what little Russian I knew has rusted almost solid, but it doesn't appear they know more at this point. Every time they break for commercials they show the plane and number of passengers.

It looks really bad.

[hrmjustin]

8. Read on twitter that they found wreckage.

[inanna]

11. ...

Debris found in Black Sea amid search for missing Russian plane carrying 91 people, emergency officials tell Interfax, Sputnik, TASS

http://www.breakingnews.com/

Top of the page, seven minutes ago.

[oberliner]

9. It crashed

A Russian military plane with 91 people on board has crashed into the Black Sea, media reports say.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. Bomb?

[okasha]

13. See post 3, last paragraph.

Likely just worn out.

[melman]

14. Bet on it

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. :o

[BeyondGeography]

15. Among the passengers, a choir and a team of journalists

The Tu-154 that belonged to the Defense Ministry was carrying the famous Alexandrov choir for a concert at the Russian air base in Syria, the ministry said.

...Nine Russian journalists, including a TV crew from Channel One, were among the passengers.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/12/25/world/europe/ap-eu-russia-military-plane.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share

[MBS]

17. This is a really distinguished choir

A tragedy on many levels.

From the New York Times article:

The ensemble was founded by Aleksandr V. Aleksandrov, a prominent Soviet composer and author of the music of the Russian anthem, and his grandson Yevgeny told Meduza, a Russian news website, that "the best members of the ensemble died.
All the best soloists, the whole choir,” he said. “Everything will collapse now, the best ones are gone.”

some more examples (see also milestone @ #16)
one-hour concert, 2009:

2013, singing "Show Must Go On"

[milestogo]

16. This is the choir that was lost.

[MFM008]

18. Truly a tragedy

The Red Army choir.
RIP.

[leftyladyfrommo]

19. Wow! What a loss to the world.

How sad.

[Cooley Hurd]

20. Choir en route to Syria to perform for troops...

[Sunlei]

21. What a horrible Christmas disaster. My sympathies to the people of Russia.

A Russian military plane carrying 92 people, including dozens of Red Army Choir singers, dancers and orchestra members, crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, killing everyone on board

Formed in 1928, The Red Army Choir is a performing ensemble that served as the official army choir of the former Soviet Union's Red Army. The choir consists of a male choir, an orchestra, and a dance ensemble. The songs they perform range from Russian folk tunes to Church hymns, operatic arias and popular music. During World War II, the choir gave over 1500 performances at both Soviet fronts, entertaining troops about to go to into battle, at gun emplacements, airfields, and in hospitals.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Red Army Choir has continued performing, entertaining audiences both inside and outside Russia.