What happened
On 2 May 2006, an Airbus A320, registered EK-32009, departed from Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan, Armenia, bound for Adler, Russia. The flight carried 113 occupants, consisting of 105 passengers and 8 crew members, including a flight engineer. The initial phases of the flight, including takeoff and cruise, proceeded without incident.
During the approach to Sochi, the crew initially considered returning to Yerevan due to weather concerns but ultimately decided to proceed with the landing. While descending toward the airport, the aircraft briefly overshot the runway centerline during a turn but corrected its path to follow the glide slope. At 2 landing gear deployment was confirmed by the crew. Shortly after being cleared for landing, air traffic controllers notified the pilots that the cloud ceiling had dropped to 100 meters and instructed them to halt their descent and climb to 600 meters.
Following this instruction, the aircraft ceased communication with the controller. At 22:13:03, the Airbus A320 struck the surface of the water, leading to the total destruction of the aircraft and the deaths of all 113 individuals on board.
Findings
- The crew had experienced a pre-flight rest period exceeding 24 hours, and cockpit communications indicated that the crew members had not achieved adequate sleep due to disrupted bio-rhythms.
- The aircraft's takeoff weight and center of gravity were within the manufacturer's operational limits.
- The sudden reduction in cloud ceiling to 100 meters occurred while the aircraft was in the final stages of its approach.