The Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee continues investigating a criminal case over the crash of a Falcon jet at Vnukovo airport.

Today flight controller Alexander Kruglov has been charged with a crime under part 3 of article 263 of the RF Penal Code (violation of safety standards for operation and traffic of an aircraft involving death of two or more people by negligence). He has been interviewed as the accused. At the moment he is kept in custody.

A few days before, trainee flight controller Svetlana Krivsun was charged with the same crime.

At present investigating operations are underway with other defendants, including Vnukovo leading flight engineer Vladimir Ledenev, control tower operator Roman Dunayev, and driver of a snowplow Vladimir Martynenko. They are going to be charged soon.

I remind that a number of forensic inquiries have been assigned on the case, and that based only on results of those analyses together with other evidence including conclusions of the Interstate Aviation Committee will the investigators be able to make any conclusions on the causes of the crash and guilt of certain people.

The investigation is ongoing.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                    V.I. Markin