Pilots in Yak-42 Crash Had Forged Documents

Friday, September 07, 2012 at 08:46 PM ET

Verified

** Less than 200 Yak-42s have been
produced since the airplane was first
developed several decades ago. The
aircraft is predominately flown by Russia
and other members of the former Soviet
Union.**

Key Takeaways:

The pilots of the Yak-42 that crashed, killing 44 including a hockey team, were flying illegally with falsified documents and lacked appropriate training.
Investigators determined the crash was caused by one pilot accidentally activating the brakes and a decision not to abort takeoff, with a sedative drug potentially affecting one pilot's performance.
The head of the flight company faces criminal charges, and the accident drew renewed attention to Russia’s poor aviation safety record, leading to the closure of the charter service.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The pilots of a Yak-42 that crashed in Russia last year and killed 44 including the Russian hockey team Lokomotiv were flying illegally, Russian investigators said this week.

According to Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia’s accident investigation agency, the pilots had not undergone the appropriate training needed to safely fly the charter jet and were flying with “falsified documents.”