_on_final_approach_at_Chkalovsky_Airport.jpg) RA-85572, the aircraft involved, in May 2016 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 December 2016 |
| 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 |
| 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.