2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash

2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash

RA-85572, the aircraft involved, in May 2016
Accident
Date	25 December 2016 (2016-12-25)
Summary	Loss of control at night, spatial disorientation
Site	Black Sea, approx 1.5 km (0.93 mi) off the coast from Sochi, Russia 288 km (178.95 mi) off the from Trabzon, Turkey 43°25′30″N 39°50′13″E / 43.42500°N 39.83694°E / 43.42500; 39.83694
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Tupolev Tu-154B-2
Operator	Russian Air Force
Registration	RA-85572
Flight origin	Chkalovsky Airport, Russia
Stopover	Sochi International Airport, Sochi, Russia
Destination	Khmeimim Air Base, Latakia, Syria
Occupants	92
Passengers	84
Crew	8
Fatalities	92
Survivors	0

On 25 December 2016, a Tupolev Tu-154 jetliner of the Russian Defence Ministry crashed into the Black Sea shortly after taking off from Sochi International Airport, Russia, while en route to Khmeimim Air Base, Syria. All 92 passengers and crew on board, including 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble choir of the Russian Armed Forces, were killed. The aircraft had flown from Chkalovsky Airport and had landed at Sochi to refuel.