MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/. Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee has started decoding the flight data recorder from the Sukhoi Superjet-100 passenger jet that crashed at Moscow’s Sheremetievo airport on Sunday evening, Transport Minister Yevgeny Dietrich told the media. Also, the IAC is working on the cockpit voice recorder.
Aeroflot’s Sukhoi Superjet-100, which left Moscow for Murmansk on May 5 had to return to the airport of departure minutes later to make a crash landing and catch fire. There were 73 passengers and five crew on board. The disaster claimed 41 lives. Nine passengers had to be taken to hospital. Criminal proceedings have been launched under Part 3 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code (violation of air traffic safety rules and operation of aircraft which caused negligent death of two or more persons). The investigators are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including the pilots’ competence, equipment failure and bad weather.