MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The work of Russian experts on decoding the flight recorder from the Su-24 warplane downed by Turkey appears transparent and professional, Gates Aviation Limited CEO Emma Farrant said Friday.
"Capt [Jonathan] Gillespie attended at the invitation of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency as an independent international observer," Farrant told RIA Novosti.
"At present we don’t know whether Capt Gillespie of Gates Aviation Limited will play any further part in this as an independent observer. As for how the investigation was conducted it appeared very competent, professional and entirely transparent," she said.
Farrant underlined that Gates Aviation Limited is not connected with UK government agencies.
On November 24, a Russian Su-24 attack aircraft was brought down by an air-to-air missile fired from a Turkish F-16 fighter in response to an alleged violation of Turkish airspace by the Russian jet.
Both Russian and Syrian defense officials confirmed that the Su-24 never crossed into Turkish airspace, and was illegally downed in Syria. In response to the incident, Russia introduced a set of economic measures against Turkey.
Earlier this month, the Russian and the invited international experts started deciphering of the black box of the downed Su-24, but severe damage to the flight recorder of the jet rendered their efforts unsuccessful.
The US-based International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), in particular, did not have any issues with the quality of Su-24 flight recorder opening process.
