Accident d'un Sukhoi SSJ 100

Fears grew Wednesday that a Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) aircraft had crashed during a demonstration flight in Indonesia after no signs of the aircraft or responses from crew has been received many hours after the new jet type disappeared.

Fifty people, including eight crew, were believed to be onboard the SSJ100, which was doing the second of two company demonstration flights from near Jakarta.

The aircraft is believed to be one of two company prototypes being used for sales and marketing promotion tours. The missing aircraft is SN95004.

Indonesian aviation authorities confirmed to Russian News Agency RIA Novosti that a search effort was underway after the aircraft disappeared from radar near Bogor in West Java province, near a volcanic mountain.

The aerial search in the mountainous terrain was temporarily suspended after dark.

According to the Russian news agency, air traffic controllers reported that shortly before radio contact was lost, 20 minutes after takeoff, the pilots had requested permission to descend from 10,000 ft. (3,000 m.) to 6,000 ft. (1,800 m.).

“After it was cleared for descent the plane started turning right and descending but then disappeared from the radar screens at an altitude of 6,200 ft. in a mountainous area, 100-120 kilometers from Jakarta airport,” RIA Novosti said, adding that Indonesian authorities have suggested the airplane “may have been hijacked or crashed into a mountain in poor visibility.”

The SSJ100 arrived in Jakarta as part of a demonstration tour of six Asian countries.

It had been to Myanmar, Pakistan and Kazakhstan, and after Indonesia was scheduled to visit Laos and Vietnam.

The 100-seat SSJ100 is a joint venture aircraft produced by Sukhoi, Finmeccanica and other companies.

It is powered by SaM146 engines produced by PowerJet, a joint venture company of Russia’s NPO Saturn and France’s Snecma.

The SSJ100 entered service in 2011 with Armenian Armavia and gained European Aviation Safety Agency certification in
early February ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

Source: SCAC

17/05/2012

The Medico-legal expertise department of the Jakarta’s police hospital with the collaboration of a team from the Russian medico-legal expertise center of the Ministry of Health and Social Development continues the identification of victims.

Today Professor Pavel Ivanov, a leading Russian expert in the DNA identification analysis, started to help Indonesian specialists in performing procedures on site.

The search for the FDR and collection of aircraft fragments are to continue with participation of the Russian MChS team, while the number of Indonesian specialists involved in these operations will be reduced.

Preliminary findings from the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] crash inquiry show that the aircraft had been cleared to descend below the minimum safe altitude for the area.

Sukhoi had intended to conduct a 30min demonstration flight from Halim to Pelabuhan Ratu at an altitude of 10,000ft.

Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee states that air traffic control cleared the aircraft to depart runway 06 then, upon reaching 2,000ft, turn right to intercept the 200 radial from the Halim VOR beacon before climbing to 10,000ft.

After transferring to Jakarta approach control the crew was instructed to maintain this altitude. But two minutes later - and just 5min into the flight - the pilot requested descent to 6,000ft.

Indonesia's aeronautical information publication showed, however, that the minimum safe altitude was 6,900ft within 25nm of the Halim beacon.

The controller asked the pilot to repeat the descent request and, after he did so, acknowledged it. The pilot responded: "Descend to 6,000ft."

Two minutes later the pilot contacted Jakarta approach again, asking to make a right orbit, which was also approved at 6,000ft. The controller told investigators that, at the moment of this request, radar showed the aircraft was over a training zone at Atang Sanjaya about 17nm southwest of the Halim beacon.

But the aircraft was later found to have crashed into high terrain 28nm from the beacon, on the 198 radial. The impact site, on Mount Salak, was at a height of about 6,000ft.

The route selected for the flight was not a published airway, the inquiry points out, adding that the minimum off-route altitude was 13,200ft.

Weather information for the time of the accident - taken from a meteorological station about 7nm from the crash site - indicated a cloud base of about 2,000ft, with substantial cloud cover and cumulonimbus activity in the vicinity.

Investigators state that the flight-data recorder contains 22min of information from the flight, from engine start. But their preliminary findings have not detailed the operational status of the terrain-awareness and warning system or the various avionics and navigation systems on board the Superjet.

Neither pilot was found to have any traces of alcohol or drugs in their system. No distress signal was received by emergency services. The aircraft's emergency locator transmitter was found with its antenna detached.

None of the 45 occupants - comprising two pilots, a navigator, test-flight engineer and 41 passengers - survived the 9 May crash.