News
Pilot error tabbed as cause of Russian crash
Nov. 2, 2011, Moscow, Rus. - Investigators say a Russian jet crash that killed 44 people, including an entire hockey team, was caused by pilot error.
November 2, 2011 By Carey Fredericks
They say the Sept. 7 crash occurred because a pilot accidentally activated the brakes during takeoff and then lifted the jet too sharply, causing it to crash.
The Yak-42 plane crashed into flames near the city of Yaroslavl in on the banks of the Volga River, 240 kilometres northeast of Moscow.
It was one of the worst aviation disasters ever in sports, shocking Russia and the world of hockey.
The dead included 36 players — many of them former NHL players — Canadian-born head coach Brad McCrimmon and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team.
The only player who survived the crash later died of burns and a flight engineer was the sole survivor.
