History of Flight
On 2 May 2006, an Armavia Airbus A320-211, registered EK-32009, operated passenger flight RNV 967 from Zvartnots (Yerevan, Armenia) to Adler (Sochi, Russia). The crew conducted pre-flight preparations and received weather briefings. The aircraft took off from Zvartnots at 20:47 UTC with 113 occupants on board: 105 passengers (including 5 children and 1 baby), 2 pilots, 5 flight attendants, and 1 engineer.
The flight proceeded normally until the initial contact with Sochi approach control at 21:10:20. The crew discussed weather conditions and initially decided to return to Yerevan. However, after obtaining updated weather at 21:30:49 showing visibility 3,600 m and cloud ceiling 170 m, they decided to continue to Sochi.
At 22:00:45, the aircraft was descending to 3,600 m heading to GUKIN point. The approach controller cleared the aircraft to 1,800 m and reported weather above aerodrome minimums. The crew was then handed over to the holding and tower controllers and cleared to descend to 600 m. During the turn to final, the aircraft overshot the extended runway centerline. After correcting the deviation, the aircraft began descending along the glide slope.
At 22:10:45, the crew reported gear extension and readiness for landing. The controller advised the distance (10 km) and weather (4,000 m visibility, cloud ceiling 190 m) and cleared the aircraft to land. About 30 seconds later, the controller informed the crew of an observed cloud ceiling of 100 m and instructed them to stop descent, execute a right turn, climb to 600 m, and contact the holding controller.
The last communication with the crew occurred at 22:12:35. The aircraft struck the water at 22:13:03, was destroyed, and sank.
Injuries and Damage
According to the source, all 105 passengers and 8 crew members suffered fatal injuries. The aircraft was completely destroyed upon impact with the water. No other damage occurred.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The aircraft, an Airbus A320-211 (serial number 547), was registered in Armenia and owned by Funnel, George Town, Cayman Islands. The captain, born in 1966, held an A320 captain qualification since September 2005 and had completed training at SAS FLIGHT ACADEMY in Stockholm. The crew had a pre-flight rest period exceeding 24 hours; cockpit conversations indicated they had not gotten enough sleep prior to the night flight.
Investigation
The investigation was conducted by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) Air Accident Investigation Commission, with participation from Armenian and Russian authorities. The report covers factual information and analysis; the probable cause is not stated in the provided excerpts.