Jet crashes into Black Sea

[ohiostorm]

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- An Armenian jet carrying 113 people from Yerevan has crashed into the Black Sea near the Russian resort of Sochi, killing all on board, authorities say.

The Airbus A320 disappeared from radar in bad weather just miles from shore early Wednesday, and news agencies reported local authorities as saying some bodies had already been pulled out of the water.

Rescuers have also found parts of the plane, baggage and life jackets about four miles (six kilometers) from the coast, Russian officials said.

Boats and divers are battling rough seas, driving rain and low visibility to recover what they can.

The plane belonged to Armavia Airlines, the largest airline in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia, according to a Reuters report.

The plane crashed shortly before it was to land at Adler airport near the Russian city of Sochi, The Associated Press quoted Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov as saying.

The pilot had reported no problems before the crash. Controllers lost contact with the plane shortly after 2:15 a.m. Wednesday (10.15 p.m. GMT Tuesday), Beltsov said.

One official from Armavia told Reuters the plane crashed into the sea at a very steep angle, and the fuselage was lying on the seabed.

It is unknown whether bad weather was a factor in the crash, and many different reports are circulating as to what happened immediately before the plane went down.

Relatives of those aboard the plane were gathering at Yerevan for a charter flight to Sochi, AP reported.

[Brent]

A320 too... relatively new aircraft.

[Janice]

Oh, that is horrible. I always panic when I am flying if the weather is bad. You put your trust in the pilots and airlines. Sometimes, I think they fly in bad weather when they shouldn't.

[ohiostorm]

We had a really bad storm hit the airport last week here in Pittsburgh and planes were still taking off. I thought they had to be grounded when there was lighting within a certain radius from the airport but I guess if they are already on the runway they can takeoff. I wouldn't do it though.