Pilot error blamed for plane crash that killed former Canuck
Posted November 2, 2011 6:45 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
YAROSLAVL, RUSSIA (NEWS1130) – Russian investigators have wrapped up their probe into the Sept. 7th jet crash that killed 44 people, including an entire professional hockey team and its Canadian head coach.
The country’s aviation authority says the Yak-42 plane crash near Yaroslavl occurred because one of the pilots accidentally activated the brakes during takeoff, and then lifted the jet too sharply. It says that caused the plane to slam into the banks of Volga River, 240 kilometres northeast of Moscow, bursting into a ball of flames.
The dead included 36 players, coaches, and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team, including former Vancouver Canuck Pavol Demitra. A flight engineer was the sole survivor.
The crash raised a number of concerns about Russia aviation safety ranging from the country’s aging fleet and staff training to airline infrastructure and regulation.
