The plane, of Sibir Air Lines, which was on flight 1047 from Moscow's Domodedovo to Sochi carried 46 people, including eight crew.
The jet disappeared from radar screens at 11:00 p.m. Moscow time.
According to the press-service, flight 1047 was performed by aircraft commander Mikhail Guryev (1st class pilot), co-pilot Yury Andrushchenko (2nd class pilot), navigator Yury Korol (1st class pilot), flight engineer Andrei Yermolayev (2nd class pilot), all from Moscow, senior air hostess Olga Bykovskaya, air host Sergei Ivanov, and air hostesses Yana Tarsukova and Marina Khudeyeva, all from Barnaul.
According to the air lines, the passenger Tu-154 RA-85556 has been in service since 1982, logging a total of 30,751 hours against the planned 37,000 hours. The date of the last overhaul was August 1993, time in the air since the repairs was 14,876 hours against the designated time between overhauls of 15,000 hours. The last maintenance on the liner (form B-even) was done on August 10, 2004.
On the same night, in the Kimovsky district of the Tula region, near the populated centre of Buchalki, a Tu-134 aircraft of Volga-Avia air lines crashed, while on flight 1303 from Moscow to Volgograd. The plane left Moscow's Domodedovo airport on Tuesday at about 10:00 p.m. Moscow time and vanished from radar screens at 10:56 p.m. Moscow time. It carried 34 passengers and eight crew members.
An officer on duty at the regional department of the Emergencies Ministry in Tula said that the tail unit of the Tu-134 was found in the Tula region.
Alexei Gromov, the presidential press-secretary, said that the president had been immediately informed of the tragedy.
Vladimir Putin instructed the FSB to launch an immediate all-round investigation into the disasters.
Competent authorities of Russia are taking steps to enhance safety precautions at all Russia's airports.
