Russia's Head of Flight Aviation Security Service of the Russian Federation Armed Forces Sergei Bainetov (C) attends a press conference on the crash of the Defense Ministry's Tu-154 plane in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 29, 2016. Russian rescuers have finished the main stage of the search operation at the plane's crash site. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)
MOSCOW, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Preliminary results of the investigation into the Russian military Tu-154 plane crash will be announced in January, and a terror attack possibility cannot be excluded, a special government commission investigating the incident said Thursday.
"After decoding the first flight data recorder, we came to the conclusion that there had been no explosion on board. I can say that for sure," Sergey Bainetov, chief of the aviation security service of the Russian Armed Forces and a commission member, told a press conference.
But he added that currently a terrorist act cannot be ruled out.
"A terror act does not necessarily mean an explosion, it could be a physical impact," he said.
Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, also the head of the commission, told the briefing that a terrorist attack "is not considered as a main version."
The plane crash might have resulted from a malfunction of the plane's equipment, he said, warning journalists not to make hasty conclusions based on unofficial data but to wait for preliminary results of the official investigation expected in January.
The Tu-154, en route to the Hmeimin air base in Syria, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Black Sea resort city of Sochi early Sunday morning.
Ninety-two people, including 84 passengers and eight crew members, were aboard the plane. Most of them were members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, a renowned choir of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as nine Russian journalists. They were heading to the air base for New Year celebrations.
According to Bainetov, at least 10 days were needed for a detailed study of the collected aircraft data and analysis of its performance, while no less than 30 days were needed for drawing conclusions.
Sokolov said that the main part of the search operation at the crash site had been completed, but some 18 ships and 50 divers continued working there.
So far, most of the aircraft fragments have been found and recovered, including the plane's flight recorders, he added.
Nineteen bodies and over 230 body parts have been sent to Moscow for identification, Sokolov said.
Only one passenger has been identified and buried, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said at the press conference.
All Tu-154 aircraft have been temporarily grounded pending the results of the investigation, Bainetov said.
