Experts explain why they find low-quality fuel as basic version of Tu-154’s crash

The fuel pipeline of the Sochi Airport has not been replaced for a long time; therefore, the crashed aircraft could be filled with contaminated fuel that caused explosion of the liner’s tanks. This was stated by the aviation experts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on December 25, a Tu-154 aircraft of the Russia’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) that was on its flight to Syria crashed down 1.5 km off the Black Sea coast. There were 92 people on board. Today, Maxim Sokolov the Russia’s Minister of Transports, said that the basic versions of the crash are a piloting error or a technical malfunction. A terror act is not considered among the main versions.

Earlier, experts did not rule out structural deficiencies of the Tu-154, or an explosion on board. The MoD insists that the aircraft was in due order.

Nikolai Korolenko, an engineer, who has worked at the Sochi Airport for 40 years, said that fuel supply pipeline and the fuel storage, used by the airport, were put into operation back in 1973. According to the documents, their lifetime was 20 years; therefore they had to be replaced in 1993.

Mr Korolenko said that the video of a flash in the sky recorded on the night of the disaster speaks in favour of the version of fuel tank explosion.

The version of low-quality fuel is supported by Igor Gorbuntsov, a former shift head at the fuel storage of the Sochi Airport (in 1993-2000). He has confirmed that in 2000 there was a scandal after detection of dirty fuel in the pipeline. After the scandal, he resigned from his work.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.