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About the investigation progress of the accident with RRJ-95 RA-89098 aircraft

Investigator-in-charge (IIC) for the investigation of the accident involving RRJ-95 RA-89098 operated by Aeroflot - Russian Airlines (further referred as "Aeroflot") which occurred on 05.05.2019 in Sheremetyevo airport (Moscow, RF), provides the following information on the investigation status.

The investigation is carried out in accordance with ICAO Annex 13, Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (further referred as "Annex 13") and the Regulations on Civil Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigations in the Russian Federation, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 609, dated 18.06.1998 (further referred as "PRAPI").

The Investigation team, beside the IAC specialists, includes representatives of Rosaviatsia (FATA, the Russian CAA), Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company JSC (currently renamed into "Regional Aircraft – Branch of the Irkut Corporation", but within this investigation referred as "SCAC") and Aeroflot. The Investigation team consists of sub-teams and working groups which include specialists from IAC, Rosaviatsia, Aeroflot, Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State Air Traffic Management Corporation of the Russian Federation", Gromov Flight Research Institute, Sheremetyevo (Alexander S. Pushkin) International Airport OJSC, S7 Engineering and Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of Russia.

In accordance with Annex 13, BEA (France), BFU (Germany) and NTSB (USA)[1] accredited representatives are also participating in the investigation.

Annex 13 Standard 6.6 stipulates that if the report cannot be made publicly available within twelve months, the State conducting the investigation shall make an interim statement publicly available on each anniversary of the occurrence, detailing the progress of the investigation.. This press-release in particular is issued for the purpose to meet the said Standard requirements. The Preliminary Report was published at IAC website on June 14, 2019 and can be reached by the following link: https://mak-iac.org/upload/iblock/c01/report_ra-89098_pr_en.pdf.

To this date, the following works have been completed:

·       the field stage of the investigation, including the accident site wreckage layout mapping;

·       the examination of the recovered fragments of the aircraft;

·       the FDR & CVR and ATS data readout, decoding and analysis;

·       flight math modelling (simulation) including the assessment of the accident aircraft aerodynamic performance in comparison to the type-aircraft performance, as well as possible influence on aircraft performance of external factors;

·       the evaluation of compliance of flight simulator used by Aeroflot for crew training purposes to the type-aircraft performance;

·       the analysis of the previously registered cases of fly-by-wire control system in flight transition into DIRECT MODE on this aircraft type and the cases of hard landings;

·       the study and the analysis of the forensic medical examinations, as well as of the results of the questioning and investigative interviews of the survived passengers and crew members;

·       the analysis of the navigation and weather services provided for the accident flight;

·       the analysis of the flight crew members' psychological and personal characteristics. The full information required for the conduct of this work was provided by the Operator only at the end of February 2020.

On the decision of the Investigation team, some of the aircraft units and components were removed from the aircraft for examinations; including the components containing non-volatile memory (NVM) which can provide additional flight data.

To this date, the following examinations have been performed together with components' design and manufacturing companies and with the participation of the accredited representatives of Germany, France and the USA:

·       airframe and aircraft components post-accident examinations for the presence of lightning strike traces were performed by the team of the IAC, SCAC, Aeroflot and Rosaviatsia experts;

·       EIU-100 (Electronic Interface Unit) examinations were performed at the Aviapribor-service JSC facilities (Moscow, RF) and at the JSC Ulyanovsk Instrument Manufacturing Design Bureau facilities (Ulyanovsk, RF) with the participation of the IAC, Rosaviatsia, SCAC and Aeroflot experts;

·       FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control Unit) examinations were performed at BEA facilities (Le Bourget, France) by the unit manufacturer (Safran Electronics & Defense) together with the IAC and BEA specialists;

·       СРМ (Central Processing Module) examinations were performed at the unit manufacturer (Thales) facilities (Chatellerault, France) with the participation of the IAC and BEA specialists;

·       GCU (Generator Control Unit) and GAPCU (Generator Auxiliary Power Control Unit) examinations were performed at the unit manufacturer (Collins) facilities (Dijon, France) with participation of the IAC and BEA representatives;

·       VDR (VHF data radio) examinations were performed at the unit manufacturer (Thales) facilities (Brives, France) with the participation of the IAC and BEA specialists;

·       FSCU (Fuel System Control Unit) and FQIC (Fuel Quantity Indication Computer) examinations were performed at the unit manufacturer (Safran Aerosystems) facilities (Plaisir, France) with the participation of the IAC and BEA representatives;

·       examinations of the Twin Motor Actuators' responsible for fuel cutoff were performed at the unit manufacturer (Safran Aerosystems) facilities (Roche-la-Moliere, France) with the participation of the IAC and BEA specialists;

·       examinations of the left-hand side stick and of the 6 МАСЕ control units were performed at the manufacturer (Liebherr-Aerospace GmbH) facilities (Lidenberg, Germany) with the participation of IAC and BFU representatives;

·       airborne weather radar computer NVM data were downloaded by the IAC and SCAC specialists. The data downloading was performed in accordance with the procedure, established by the computer designer (Honeywell, USA). The data decoding and analysis were conducted with the participation of the NTSB and Honeywell specialists.

To this date, the following examinations are being conducted or scheduled but not completed:

·       the FPC (Fire Protection Unit) examinations: the examinations will be performed at the unit manufacturer (Curtiss-Wright) facilities (Santa Clarita, USA) as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are removed;

·       the analysis of post-landing fire origin and propagation scenario: the examinations are currently being performed by Saint Petersburg University of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia;

·       the analysis of the airplane structure destruction scenario, in particular of the landing gear and the wing areas where the fuel tanks are located, as well as the assessment of landing gear attachments' safety pins (weak links) actual performance characteristics and their compliance with the design requirements. The analysis will be performed by the investigation team on receiving the results of the modelling (evaluation) of the dynamic loads affecting the landing gear system which is being performed by the landing gear manufacturer (Safran LS, France).

As per PRAPI para 2.7.15 and best international practice, the Final Report shall not be issued nor published until all the examinations' reports have been received and analyzed.

The Final Report on the results of the current accident investigation will be prepared by the investigation team on completion of all scheduled works.

Complying with all the sanitary and epidemiological restrictions, established at both the Federal and Moscow levels (as the IAC headquarters is located in Moscow), the Investigation team and the IAC are maintaining continuous operation and are taking all the possible measures on completing the works on the present investigation in the nearest possible time. For the corrective measures implementation, all the hazards, revealed in course of investigation, are immediately provided to the involved parties including Rosaviatsia – the authority that has issued the type certificate for the RRJ-95 aircraft.

At the same time, it should be mentioned that the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, established in all the other states and organizations, involved in the current investigation, have a significant effect on the investigation works' completion.




[1] The IAC has MOUs in the field of accident investigation and prevention with the mentioned organizations.