A new claim has emerged regarding the Russian military plane that crashed over the Black Sea last December while en route to Syria for a “morale concert.” Experts allege that the aircraft took off overloaded beyond its capacity.
In December last year, a Tu-154 military aircraft en route to Syria to give a “morale concert” to Russian soldiers stationed there crashed near Sochi, claiming the lives of 92 people. A striking new claim about the accident has resurfaced in the Russian media.
According to a report by Gazeta.ru, cited by Turkrus, it is alleged that the Tu-154, which has a maximum load capacity of 98 tons, was loaded with as much as 110 tons.
Although official records indicate that the plane took off weighing 99.6 tons, it was claimed that there were no documents proving any additional loading after refuelling at Adler Airport on the Black Sea coast.
According to the allegation, the “excess load” stemmed from the difference in fuel quantity used during take-off from Moscow. Despite the aircraft’s fuel capacity being 35.6 tons, it reportedly took off from Moscow with only 24 tons of fuel, and the remaining capacity was filled with additional cargo. After refuelling at Adler, the fuel level reached 35.6 tons, resulting in an estimated 12-ton overload on the aircraft.
Experts argue that this excess weight could have negatively affected the aircraft’s balance and take-off performance, potentially leading to the crash. It has not yet been announced whether official authorities have launched a new investigation into the incident.
