A Russian pilot inadvertently put the brake on the wheel during takeoff, causing a crash that killed 44 people, including a team of professional ice hockey, researchers said Wednesday, citing lack of supervision and inadequate crew training as key reasons behind the error.
The Interstate Aviation Committee said September 07 crash of Yak-42 near Yaroslavl in central Russia came because one of the two pilots accidentally activate the brake and then pulled a control wheel in the chest, plane pulling too hard in a desperate attempt to take off.
He was one of the worst aviation disaster ever in the sport as the dead included 36 players - many of them former NHL players - Canadian-born head coach Brad McCrimmon and staff hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The only player who survived the crash died later from burns. A flight engineer was the only survivor.
Alexei Morozov, leader of the research, said the crew should have aborted the takeoff at the time he realized that was wrong. He said one possible reason the pilot still stubbornly trying to remove the fear of reprisals from their employer.
Industry experts say that when aborted takeoffs Russian teams, ranking second or divert planes to other airports that may risk losing their bonuses or face other sanctions as carriers focus on cost reduction.
"Many pilots say that cause delays in flight schedules ... in a variety of problems in many companies," Morozov told a news conference. "Managing the company does not like."
Morozov blamed owner of the aircraft, Yak-service, non-compliance with safety standards and adequately train the crew. The company closed in September by the Federal Aviation Authority of Russia, when satisfied that violations are serious.
"The company had practically no adequate monitoring system and flight controls on air safety," said Morozov.
Morozov said both pilots had flown other aircraft with a cabin design a little different and apparently never learned the correct position for your feet on takeoff. He said that the Yak-42, like most other Russian and Western aircraft now, a pilot directs the plane by pressing the bottom of the pedals and brakes activated by pressing the top.
But instead of putting your heels on the floor of the cabin as the regulations require one or both of the drivers left their feet on the pedals in line with the old ways, without realizing the activation of the brakes and slow the aircraft at takeoff.
At first I realized that the brakes were on, and then made the fatal mistake of not stopping the launch, he said.
"A properly trained pilot aborted the takeoff would have immediately when he saw that the nose is not to raise," said Ruben Yesayan, a highly decorated test pilot who participated in the investigation. "The plane simply walked past the track and everyone would have been safe."
Morozov said the second driver was taking phenobarbital - a sedative used to control seizures is prohibited for drivers - and that also contributed to the disaster. He said the pilot suffered from polyneuropathy - a neurological disorder that could affect the hands and feet, causing weakness and numbness. He had gone unnoticed for a medical certificate, but the researchers found that the pilot had consulted private doctors about it.
A clash of egos could also have been a factor, Morozov said, noting that the second driver felt like a true leader.
The plane was already half gone from the runway of 3,000 feet when the crew tried and could not lift it. Both riders were thrown his weight on drive wheels desperately trying to lift the plane and managed to put more pressure on the brakes while doing so.
The jet accelerated beyond the track and ran nearly 450 feet above the grass before finally taking off. He got very strong and immediately deposited into your wing, crashing into the side of the Volga River, 240 kilometers northeast of Moscow.
The team was heading for Minsk, Belarus, to play his first game of the season Kontinental Hockey League.
Among those killed were Alexander Karpovtsev assistant coach, one of the first Russians to have their name engraved on the Stanley Cup as a member of the New York Rangers, Pavol Demitra and who played for the St. Louis Blues and the Canucks Vancouver and the Slovak national team captain.
Other highlights were killed Josef Vasicek Czech players, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek, goalie Stefan Liv Swedish, Latvian Karlis Skrastins Ruslan Salei defenses and defenses in Belarus.
The accident raised new concerns about the safety of Russian aviation and asks the president to suggest replacing all the aging Soviet-era Western airplanes did the drawings.
But industry experts say the recent Russian air disasters are rooted not only in the age of the aircraft, but a combination of factors, including insufficient staff training, airports in ruins, lax government control and widespread abandonment of security in the pursuit of profit.