Russia finds first flight recorder from Black Sea crash jet

(VNF) - Russian authorities have found a flight recorder in the wreckage of a military plane that crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday (Dec. 25^th), killing all 92 on board, Russian agencies cited the Defence Ministry as saying on Tuesday (Dec. 27^th).

The recorder, one of several reported to be on board, contains information which could help investigators identify the cause of the crash. It will be sent to a Defence Ministry facility in Moscow for analysis, the ministry was cited as saying.

A boat of Russian Emergencies Ministry is seen near a pier, as rescue personnel conduct a search after a Russian military Tu-154 plane crashed into the Black Sea on its way to Syria on Sunday, in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia, December 26^th. (Photo: REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)

Investigators have so far said that pilot error or a technical fault were likely to have caused the Defence Ministry TU-154 to crash into the sea.

"No signs or facts pointing to a possible act of terror have been received at this time," Russia's Federal Security Service said in a statement carried by national news agencies.

The probe is focusing on a pilot error, a technical fault, bad fuel and a foreign object in the engine as four main scenarios, it added.

TU-154 aircraft have been involved in a number of accidents in the past, including the April 2010 crash killing then-Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his delegation. They are no longer used by commercial airlines in Russia.

The plane was carrying dozens of Red Army Choir singers and dancers to Syria to entertain Russian troops in the run-up to the New Year, as well as other passengers.

The Defence Ministry said search and rescue teams have so far recovered 12 bodies and 156 body fragments, news agencies reported.

The Interfax news agency, citing a law enforcement source, said a second flight recorder had also been found in the wreckage, but not yet raised to the surface./.

( Compiled by VNF )