Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash
Encyclopedia
The Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash occurred at 16:05 MT
on Wednesday, 7 September 2011, when a Yak-Service
Yakovlev Yak-42
, carrying the players and coaching staff
of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
professional ice hockey
team, crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl
. The aircraft ran off the runway before lifting off, failed to gain altitude, struck a tower mast, caught fire and crashed 2 km (1.2 mi) from Tunoshna Airport
. Of the 45 on board, 43 died at the scene. One of the two rescued from the wreck, Alexander Galimov
, died five days later in hospital, and only the flight engineer Alexander Sizov survived.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a member of the Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL), Russia's top ice hockey league, was on its way to Minsk
, Belarus
, to start the 2011–12 season
. All players from the main roster and four from the youth team were on board the aircraft. Because of the tragedy, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl chose to cancel their participation in the 2011–12 KHL season
. The club would instead participate in the 2011–12 season of the Russian Major League (VHL), the second-ranked ice hockey league in Russia after the KHL, starting in December 2011, and would be eligible for the MHL playoffs. The KHL temporarily suspended its season-opening game already in progress and postponed the start of the season for nearly a week.
Investigation of the crash focused on pilot error and technical failures. An investigative committee was set up which examined Yak-Service's records, conditions at the airport, plane wreckage and flight recorder data. Simulations of the plane takeoff were held to compare with recovered flight recorder data. Testing determined that pilot error was the cause as a braking force was found to have been applied by the chief pilot during takeoff. The investigating committee released its report at a press conference on 2 November 2011. According to Alexei Morozov, chief of the investigative commission: "the immediate cause of the Yak-42 plane crash was the plane crew's erroneous actions, namely the pilot stepping on the brake pedals before raising the nose wheel because of the wrong position of the feet on the brake platforms during takeoff."
After it struck the tower mast, the plane veered left and crashed on the riverbank of the Tunoshna River, 200 metres (656.2 ft) from where it joins the Volga River
, losing its tail assembly
on impact while the front part of the jet disintegrated. At the impact site, the tail section remained in the water, while the pieces of the fuselage were on dry land. The location of the wreckage was approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the end of the runway.
Witness reports described the plane as "bursting into flames" after hitting the mast. The airplane's direction changed after hitting the mast, described as "rolling to the left" and then the plane impacted the ground. Another witness report described that the plane's engines went silent moments before the crash. Another report indicated that the plane hit some trees before it crashed. Another report indicated that the plane broke into two before impacting. A security surveillance camera mounted on the mast recorded the approach of the airplane at high speed, running off the end of the runway, only metres above the ground, the nose pulling up moments before impacting the mast. Debris from the aircraft was found just past the mast site, continuing from that point to the crash site. The plane's crew did not report any technical problems to the airport controllers.
fleet, and was later operated by Yak-Service, which was the operator of the plane when it crashed. Oleg Panteleyev, head of analytics at AviaPort, notes that the Yak-42 was designed with a 36 year service life, and this airframe, based upon the number of hours flown, and the number of takeoffs and landings, still had 60% of its service life remaining. According to Panteleyev, in civil aviation
, there is no such thing as an "old aircraft" and that instead it is airworthiness
which determines whether the aircraft is suitable to operate. According to Deputy Transport Minister Valery Okulov, one of the three engines on the plane had been replaced a month prior to the crash. The aircraft was due to be taken out of service at the end of 2011 for a scheduled major overhaul.
In 2009, Yak-Service was investigated by the European Commission
, following airworthiness and air safety concerns. Russian authorities imposed restrictions on the carrier, and made Yak-Service subject to ramp inspections to international standards. In 2010, Yak-Service had been banned from making flights into European airspace. The Russian transport ministry on 18 May prohibited Yak-Service from flying into Europe. On 11 August 2010, the operating restrictions were removed by Russian authorities. The European Commission, however, was not satisfied that mandatory equipment was present on all Yak-Service planes, and banned two Yakovlev Yak-40
regional jet
s (registrations RA-87648 and RA-88308) from operating in European airspace.
in 1997, 2002 and 2003, and were finalists in 2008 and 2009, making it to the third round of the playoffs in four straight seasons. Lokomotiv lost in the 2010 KHL Western Conference Finals
4–3 to HC MVD, and lost in the 2011 KHL Western Conference Finals 4–2 to Atlant. Several players were about to make their debut with the team, including former National Hockey League
(NHL) players Ruslan Salei
and Kārlis Skrastiņš
. Also set to make their coaching debuts were former NHL players Igor Korolev
and Brad McCrimmon
.
, who had been on his way to Yaroslavl for the Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum
, sent his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash, and visited the crash site along with Governor of Yaroslavl Oblast
Sergey Vakhrukov
. René Fasel
, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation
, called the crash "the darkest day in the history of our sport." Manchester United chief executive David Gill wrote to the Russian side to offer support and sympathy after hearing of the tragedy, which bore unsettling similarities to the Munich air disaster
which cost 23 United players, staff and journalists their lives in 1958. Yaroslavl announced a three-day period of mourning from Friday 9 September 2011 to Sunday 11 September 2011.
Upon hearing the news of the accident, KHL officials stopped and postponed the Salavat Yulaev Ufa
–Atlant Moscow Oblast game already in progress. The game was suspended in the second period, and KHL president Alexander Medvedev
addressed the audience at the game, informing them of the details of the tragedy. Medvedev promised "We will do our best to keep the high-level hockey in Yaroslavl." A minute of silence was held and the audience exited the arena. The two teams left to go to a nearby church. The following day in Minsk, at the arena where Yaroslavl was to play its first game of the season, a requiem mass was held to honor the dead. The KHL resumed its 2011–12 season on 12 September with seven games. All games were preceded with a minute of silence.
On Saturday, 10 September 2011, memorial services for the players were held in countries where the players came from. The biggest services which were held in Arena 2000
, the home arena of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, were attended by thousands of mourners as well as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
. Local police determined the crowd number at Lokomotiv's home arena to be roughly 100,000. Lokomotiv executives met to discuss the team's future. In the discussion, team president Yuri Yakovlev announced that Lokomotiv would not participate in the 2011–12 KHL season
. In Sweden, over 10,000 relatives and fans of HV71
attended Kinnarps Arena
, HV71's home arena, to mourn Swedish goaltender Stefan Liv
who died in the crash. On 12 September 2011, after the death of Alexander Galimov
, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl marketing manager
Ivjiny Chuev said that it was likely that another memorial, this time specifically for Galimov, would be held on 13 September. The Dallas Stars
, the team which Kārlis Skrastiņš
played for the previous two seasons, honored their former teammate by placing a decal with Skrastiņš's number (37) on the helmets of their players. Josef Vašíček
's former NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes
, wore a commemorative patch on their jerseys this season. The Detroit Red Wings
wore a patch on their 2011-2012 uniforms with the initials of Ruslan Salei
, who had played for Detroit during the previous season, Brad McCrimmon
, who had played for the team and been an assistant coach, and Stefan Liv
, who was drafted by Detroit and played for their minor-league team. The St. Louis Blues also held a memorial ceremony for former players Pavol Demitra
and Igor Korolev
before their Nov. 8 game against the Chicago Blackhawks
. The Blues players will also wear a special '38' patch on their helmets in honour. The St. Louis Blues
goaltender, Jaroslav Halak
also had his 2011-12 goaltending mask made with a tribute to Demitra on the backplate.
On 11 September, President Medvedev ordered the grounding of all airlines "which are not adequately able to ensure passengers’ safety." A deadline of 15 November was set to put into place "measures be developed to stop Russian air carriers’ activities if they are not able to provide safe flights." Measures to bring aircraft up to international standards were to be sped up and the installation of new radio beacons to the latest COSPAS-SARSAT standard. Fines for violations of the regulations are to be increased. On 21 September 2011, Yak-Service had its operating licence revoked by Rosaviatsiya after an audit of flight operations of the airline and as a result of the crash.
On 28 September, the German Ice Hockey Federation announced that it would retire the #20 jersey of Robert Dietrich in Team Germany
.
The 13 October 2011 game between the Pittsburgh Penguins
and Washington Capitals
, which feature Russian ice hockey players Alexander Ovechkin
and Evgeny Malkin, was dedicated to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The teams wore commemorative Lokomotiv patches. All jerseys were autographed by the players and auctioned to raise funds for the families of those who died in the crash.
The flight recorders were recovered on 8 September 2011, according to Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin
, and sent to Moscow for examination. The fuel supply used for the plane was seized, and samples taken for analysis to determine if substandard fuel was used. The Investigative Committee commented that pilot error and mechanical malfunction were considered the two most likely causes for the crash. One question to be investigated is why the pilots continued to attempt the take-off, rather than use emergency braking. The pilots were experienced. Captain Andrei Solontsev had 6,900 hours of flight experience, 1,500 on Yak-42s, and first officer Sergei Zhuravlev 15,000 hours, although only 420 on the Yak-42, according to Okulov.
Conflicting opinions were given on the ability of the Yak-42 to take off with less than three engines operating. According to a report quoting the Federal Air Transport Agency
, the plane can land and fly on two engines, but cannot take off if one engine shuts off. According to Shavkat Umarov, head of the Tatar
branch of Rosaviatsiya in Kazan
, the Yak-42 can take-off using two engines.
According to the Technical Commission of the MAK, preliminary analysis of the flight recorders indicated that the plane's stabilizer
was set to 8.7 degrees "nose up" and its wing flaps were in the take-off position of 20 degrees. The engines were functioning until "collision with obstacles." According to Russia's aviation authority, the flight recorders gave no indication of sub-standard fuel. An analysis of the fuel in the fuel tanks at Tunoshna Airport showed that it met requirements for aviation fuel. After the crash, the airport ordered that planes use fuel from elsewhere during the investigation.
The Technical Commission of the MAK released further findings on 12 September 2011. Among the findings:
The committee has referred the study of the flight recorders and plane operation data to other research centers. The Technical Commission has established contacts with the investigation authorities of the countries whose citizen were on-board: Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, Latvia and Canada.
On 14 September 2011, a report in the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, quoting a source in the aviation industry, claimed that the parking brake of the plane was on during the take-off, which significantly slowed the plane down and prevented it from accelerating properly. According to this theory, captain Solontsev had turned over steering to the co-pilot before take-off, as he was not feeling well. As it is the commander's duty to release the brake, the co-pilot may not have been aware that it had not been done, or had forgotten to do so. Another newspaper, Lifenews.ru, reported that investigators were investigating the pilots' professional history, and that the pilots did not have sufficient experience on the Yak-42.
On 15 September 2011, a report by RT
stated that it was now believed that there is no evidence to show that the parking brake was engaged during the take off roll. RIA Novosti reported that Deputy Minister Okulov and Federal Air Transport Agency head Alexander Neradko both dismissed the theory in discussions with reporters at a press conference on 14 September. The theory was also discounted by Konstantin Malinin, a former test pilot of the Yak-42, who noted that an engaged parking brake would have left skid marks and pieces of rubber on the runway, and there were none found.
Two simulations of the crash are planned to help determine the cause. A 'virtual' simulation will use flight simulators. The data from the crashed Yak-42's flight recorders will be loaded into a simulator, which will then reconstruct the crash. A 'live' simulation will attempt to duplicate conditions of the crash, using a similar Yak-42, which will launch from Zhukovsky Airfield. The Gromov Flight Research Institute
will conduct the tests. The Institute previously assisted the IAC in the investigation of the crash in 2010
that killed the president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski
.
On 17 September, the MAK released further information about its investigation. The plane started on the runway with approximate usable length of 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft) from its starting position. The plane started down the runway with engines at nominal thrust. After six seconds, the engines were revved up to take-off thrust. Despite the increase of engine output, the plane did not increase in speed as expected. The Committee report speculates that this could have been due to some braking force, and the committee will send the remains of the plane's braking systems to a "specialized institution" for a special examination. The plane reached a maximum speed of 230 km/h. It did not lift off the ground until some 400 metres after the end of the runway. It then hit the airport beacon. The plane did not go more than 5-6 metres off the ground. It hit the beacon, deflected to the left and impacted the ground. The flaps and slats were in takeoff position, spoilers retracted, and the stabilizer set in a ten degree position. The elevator controls were still connected.
On 19 September, news channel Rossiya 24 published the last minute of dialog between the flight crew, from the voice recorder:
According to test pilot Anatoly Knishov, in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda
, top speed 190 represents a decision point where, if failures occur before that speed, the plane must stop. At 210, Solontsev switched the engines to "takeoff mode" from "regular flight mode" or "nominal mode". According to Knishov, a nominal thrust/power mode is used for empty planes, while all loaded planes use a takeoff mode. In his opinion, the switchover from a nominal to takeoff mode was late and unusual, as engine mode for taking off is normally agreed upon before starting a take-off run.
Life News reported on 20 September the opinion of test pilot Magomed Tolboev. According to Tolboev, the cause of the disaster might have been a disagreement between the aircraft commander and the copilot. From examining a 100 metres (328.1 ft)-long skid mark on the runway, Tolboev suggested that one of them tried to brake, while the other was trying to take off. Tolboev also considered the Yak-42 to be a 'reliable vehicle', although not as advanced in its built and materials as contemporary Western models.
On Friday 23 September, Kyiv Post
reported that the only survivor of the crash flight engineer Sizov was questioned by the investigative committee on 22 September. According to Sizov, no problems were noted in the preparation for the flight, and the plane had no problems during its previous flight. Sizov also described the distribution of the passengers and luggage on the airplane. Lokomotiv's coaches were in the front cabin of the plane, the players were in the rear cabin, and the luggage was carried in the rear luggage compartment. Kyiv Post also reported that a criminal investigation under Article 263 of the Criminal Code (flight safety violations causing two or more deaths) had been commenced.
On 10 October, the Gromov Institute began its series of test flights. The simulations will apply braking forces at different stages of the takeoff to determine what effects, if any, the forces affected the ability of the plane to reach a take-off angle and speed. The first flight created a baseline takeoff, without any braking force applied.
Simulation testing determined that pilot error was the cause as a braking force was found to have been applied by the chief pilot during takeoff. Using the plane's column and data from the flight recorder, the movement was only possible by pushing down on the brake pedals from the chief pilot's seat to push upwards on the plane's column. The investigating committee found evidence of the braking failure in the braking system.
The committee released its final report on 2 November 2011. The committee found several problems that led to the plane crash. The first was that the Yak-Service airline "did not properly control the quality of mastering the aircraft", finding that the crew did not train long enough on the Yak-42. The second was that the crew "did not calculate the takeoff parameters", changing the takeoff thrust during takeoff. While it was not determined which pilot applied the brakes, it was determined that one applied acceleration at the same time as the other applied braking. The second pilot was found to have a banned drug phenobarbitol in his system.
According to eyewitnesses, both Galimov and Sizov were severely burned, but both were conscious when rescued at the scene. Both Galimov and Sizov were transported to Moscow for treatment. The two were placed in medically-induced comas to relieve stress, however, Galimov died on 12 September at the Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery. Sizov was moved from intensive care to a ward on 12 September, and his life was considered to be out of danger. On Friday, 28 October 2011, flight engineer and lone survivor of the plane crash, Alexander Sizov, was discharged from the hospital and is expected to go back into aviation, but may not fly again.
NotesA. 2000 Lady Byng Trophy winnerB. 2006 Olympic champion
and 2006 World champion
C. 2010 World champion
D. 2005 World champion
and 2006 Stanley Cup champion
E. Player had dual citizenship (Russian and Ukrainian
although dual citizenship is not recognized in Ukraine)
NotesA. 1993 World champion
and 1994 Stanley Cup champion
B. 1989 Stanley Cup champion
C. Korolev was a Russian-born Canadian citizen.
Moscow Time
Moscow Time is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second westernmost of the nine time zones of Russia. Moscow Time has been UTC+4 year-round since 27 March 2011....
on Wednesday, 7 September 2011, when a Yak-Service
Yak-Service
Yak-Service was an airline based in Moscow, Russia. It operates executive passenger charters. It was established on 12 February 1993 and started operations on 25 November 1993...
Yakovlev Yak-42
Yakovlev Yak-42
The Yakovlev Yak-42 is a 100/120-seat three-engined mid-range passenger jet. It was designed as a replacement for several obsolete Aeroflot jets as a mid-range passenger jet...
, carrying the players and coaching staff
Coaching staff
The coaching staff is a group of non-athletes tied to a sports team. It is led by a head coach , and consists of one or more assistant coaches, together with other members such as doctors, massage therapists, trainers, and equipment managers....
of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Hockey Club Lokomotiv , also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Yaroslavl. The name of the team is derived from its owner, Russian Railways, the national railroad operator....
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team, crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
. The aircraft ran off the runway before lifting off, failed to gain altitude, struck a tower mast, caught fire and crashed 2 km (1.2 mi) from Tunoshna Airport
Tunoshna Airport
Tunoshna is an airport in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia located 18 km southeast of Yaroslavl. It services medium-sized airliners. It does not serve any scheduled airlines....
. Of the 45 on board, 43 died at the scene. One of the two rescued from the wreck, Alexander Galimov
Alexander Galimov
Alexander Saidgereyevich Galimov was a Russian professional ice hockey player. At the time of his death, he was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, died five days later in hospital, and only the flight engineer Alexander Sizov survived.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a member of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL), Russia's top ice hockey league, was on its way to Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, to start the 2011–12 season
2011–12 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl season
The 2011–12 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl season will to be the franchise's 52nd season of play in professional ice hockey in Russia. It was supposed to be its fourth season in the Kontinental Hockey League . The season was scheduled to start on September 8, 2011...
. All players from the main roster and four from the youth team were on board the aircraft. Because of the tragedy, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl chose to cancel their participation in the 2011–12 KHL season
2011–12 KHL season
The 2011–12 KHL season is the fourth season of the Kontinental Hockey League. The regular season originally began on 7 September 2011 with the Opening Cup game, but because of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, which killed all but one member of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, the start of the...
. The club would instead participate in the 2011–12 season of the Russian Major League (VHL), the second-ranked ice hockey league in Russia after the KHL, starting in December 2011, and would be eligible for the MHL playoffs. The KHL temporarily suspended its season-opening game already in progress and postponed the start of the season for nearly a week.
Investigation of the crash focused on pilot error and technical failures. An investigative committee was set up which examined Yak-Service's records, conditions at the airport, plane wreckage and flight recorder data. Simulations of the plane takeoff were held to compare with recovered flight recorder data. Testing determined that pilot error was the cause as a braking force was found to have been applied by the chief pilot during takeoff. The investigating committee released its report at a press conference on 2 November 2011. According to Alexei Morozov, chief of the investigative commission: "the immediate cause of the Yak-42 plane crash was the plane crew's erroneous actions, namely the pilot stepping on the brake pedals before raising the nose wheel because of the wrong position of the feet on the brake platforms during takeoff."
Accident
Weather conditions at Tunoshna Airport on September 7 were described as good, with a wind from 360° at 11 kilometres per hour (6.8 mph), a visibility of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), with significant stratocumulus clouds at a lower limit of 990 metres (3,248 ft). The temperature was 17.8 °C (64 °F). The Yak-Service Yak-42D aircraft entered Runway 05/23 at taxiway 5, 300 metres (984.3 ft) from the start of the runway. Runway 05/23 is 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) long, leaving 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft) for take-off. The aircraft was cleared for take-off. It accelerated to an estimated 230 kilometres per hour (142.9 mph) but failed to lift off from the runway. The plane ran off past the end of the runway for a distance of 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) before it lifted off from the ground. From that point, the plane struck a beacon tower mast located about 450 metres (1,476.4 ft) from the end of the runway. The plane did not reach a flying altitude, never exceeding an estimated 6 metres (19.7 ft) from the ground.After it struck the tower mast, the plane veered left and crashed on the riverbank of the Tunoshna River, 200 metres (656.2 ft) from where it joins the Volga River
Volga River
The Volga is the largest river in Europe in terms of length, discharge, and watershed. It flows through central Russia, and is widely viewed as the national river of Russia. Out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, eleven, including the capital Moscow, are situated in the Volga's drainage...
, losing its tail assembly
Empennage
The empennage , also known as the tail or tail assembly, of most aircraft gives stability to the aircraft, in a similar way to the feathers on an arrow...
on impact while the front part of the jet disintegrated. At the impact site, the tail section remained in the water, while the pieces of the fuselage were on dry land. The location of the wreckage was approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the end of the runway.
Witness reports described the plane as "bursting into flames" after hitting the mast. The airplane's direction changed after hitting the mast, described as "rolling to the left" and then the plane impacted the ground. Another witness report described that the plane's engines went silent moments before the crash. Another report indicated that the plane hit some trees before it crashed. Another report indicated that the plane broke into two before impacting. A security surveillance camera mounted on the mast recorded the approach of the airplane at high speed, running off the end of the runway, only metres above the ground, the nose pulling up moments before impacting the mast. Debris from the aircraft was found just past the mast site, continuing from that point to the crash site. The plane's crew did not report any technical problems to the airport controllers.
Aircraft
The aircraft, a Yakovlev Yak-42D, construction number 4520424305017, was first flown in 1993 and was delivered to Orel Air Enterprise. After operating with Bykovo Avia, it went on to operate in the Aero RentAero Rent
Aero Rent is an airline based in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow, Russia. It operates VIP charter flights out of Moscow Vnukovo International Airport.-Fleet:...
fleet, and was later operated by Yak-Service, which was the operator of the plane when it crashed. Oleg Panteleyev, head of analytics at AviaPort, notes that the Yak-42 was designed with a 36 year service life, and this airframe, based upon the number of hours flown, and the number of takeoffs and landings, still had 60% of its service life remaining. According to Panteleyev, in civil aviation
Civil aviation
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
, there is no such thing as an "old aircraft" and that instead it is airworthiness
Airworthiness
Airworthiness is a term used to describe whether an aircraft has been certified as suitable for safe flight. Certification is initially conferred by a Certificate of Airworthiness from a National Airworthiness Authority, and is maintained by performing required maintenance actions by a licensed...
which determines whether the aircraft is suitable to operate. According to Deputy Transport Minister Valery Okulov, one of the three engines on the plane had been replaced a month prior to the crash. The aircraft was due to be taken out of service at the end of 2011 for a scheduled major overhaul.
In 2009, Yak-Service was investigated by the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, following airworthiness and air safety concerns. Russian authorities imposed restrictions on the carrier, and made Yak-Service subject to ramp inspections to international standards. In 2010, Yak-Service had been banned from making flights into European airspace. The Russian transport ministry on 18 May prohibited Yak-Service from flying into Europe. On 11 August 2010, the operating restrictions were removed by Russian authorities. The European Commission, however, was not satisfied that mandatory equipment was present on all Yak-Service planes, and banned two Yakovlev Yak-40
Yakovlev Yak-40
The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a small, three-engined airliner that is often called the first regional jet transport aircraft...
regional jet
Regional jet
A Regional jet , is a class of short to medium-range turbofan powered airliners.-History:The term "Regional jet" describes a range of short to medium-haul turbofan powered aircraft, whose use throughout the world expanded after the advent of Airline Deregulation in the United States in...
s (registrations RA-87648 and RA-88308) from operating in European airspace.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
At the time of the crash, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was one of the top ice hockey teams in Russia, originally established in 1959. The team won the Russian Open ChampionshipRussian Open Championship
The Russian Open Hockey Championship , also known as the Championship of Russia in ice hockey , is an annual ice hockey award and national title, bestowed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia to the professional hockey organization judged to have the best performing team in Russia.The Russian...
in 1997, 2002 and 2003, and were finalists in 2008 and 2009, making it to the third round of the playoffs in four straight seasons. Lokomotiv lost in the 2010 KHL Western Conference Finals
KHL Conference Finals
The Kontinental Hockey League Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and Western Conference Championship series of the KHL. The Conference Finals are best-of-seven series. The two series are played after the first and second rounds of the playoffs and before the Gagarin Cup Finals. The final...
4–3 to HC MVD, and lost in the 2011 KHL Western Conference Finals 4–2 to Atlant. Several players were about to make their debut with the team, including former National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) players Ruslan Salei
Ruslan Salei
Ruslan Albertovich "Rusty" Salei was a Belarusian professional ice hockey player. Salei played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who selected him ninth overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft...
and Kārlis Skrastiņš
Karlis Skrastinš
Kārlis Skrastiņš was a Latvian professional ice hockey player. Skrastins was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League and was on board the team plane which crashed on September 7, 2011...
. Also set to make their coaching debuts were former NHL players Igor Korolev
Igor Korolev
Igor Borisovich Korolev was a Russian/Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Korolev played over 700 games in the National Hockey League from 1992 until 2004. Korolev returned to Russia, and played a further seven seasons in the Russian Super League and the Kontinental Hockey League ...
and Brad McCrimmon
Brad McCrimmon
Byron Brad McCrimmon from Plenty, Saskatchewan, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. McCrimmon played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1997. From 1997 to his death, he was a coach, ultimately with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League...
.
Reaction
Russian President Dmitry MedvedevDmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
, who had been on his way to Yaroslavl for the Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum
Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum
Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum is a permanent international platform for on-going intellectual discussions and practical definition of directions of development of the modern state and its role in ensuring security and stability of the modern world....
, sent his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash, and visited the crash site along with Governor of Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast
Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subject of Russia , which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by Tver, Moscow, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Kostroma, and Vologda Oblasts. This geographic location affords the oblast the advantages of proximity to Moscow and St. Petersburg...
Sergey Vakhrukov
Sergey Vakhrukov
Sergey Alexeyevich Vakhrukov is a Russian politician, and is the current Governor of Yaroslavl Oblast.On 25 December 2007, Vakhrukov was appointed to the position of Governor by Russian President Vladimir Putin.-References:...
. René Fasel
René Fasel
René Fasel DMD is a Swiss dentist and ice hockey official. He started his ice hockey career as a player for HC Fribourg-Gottéron, in 1960, and became a referee in 1972 and president of Switzerland's ice hockey federation in 1985. In 1994 he was elected president of the International Ice Hockey...
, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
, called the crash "the darkest day in the history of our sport." Manchester United chief executive David Gill wrote to the Russian side to offer support and sympathy after hearing of the tragedy, which bore unsettling similarities to the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
which cost 23 United players, staff and journalists their lives in 1958. Yaroslavl announced a three-day period of mourning from Friday 9 September 2011 to Sunday 11 September 2011.
Upon hearing the news of the accident, KHL officials stopped and postponed the Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev is a professional ice hockey team based in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League, and were part of Group C of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League.-History:The...
–Atlant Moscow Oblast game already in progress. The game was suspended in the second period, and KHL president Alexander Medvedev
Alexander Medvedev
Alexander Ivanovich Medvedev is the current Deputy Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Russian energy company Gazprom, president of the Kontinental Hockey League, and the Director-General of Gazprom's export arm Gazprom Export...
addressed the audience at the game, informing them of the details of the tragedy. Medvedev promised "We will do our best to keep the high-level hockey in Yaroslavl." A minute of silence was held and the audience exited the arena. The two teams left to go to a nearby church. The following day in Minsk, at the arena where Yaroslavl was to play its first game of the season, a requiem mass was held to honor the dead. The KHL resumed its 2011–12 season on 12 September with seven games. All games were preceded with a minute of silence.
On Saturday, 10 September 2011, memorial services for the players were held in countries where the players came from. The biggest services which were held in Arena 2000
Arena 2000
Arena 2000 is an arena, in Yaroslavl, Russia. It opened in 2001 and holds approximately 9,000 people. It is primarily used for ice hockey and is the home arena for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team...
, the home arena of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, were attended by thousands of mourners as well as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
. Local police determined the crowd number at Lokomotiv's home arena to be roughly 100,000. Lokomotiv executives met to discuss the team's future. In the discussion, team president Yuri Yakovlev announced that Lokomotiv would not participate in the 2011–12 KHL season
2011–12 KHL season
The 2011–12 KHL season is the fourth season of the Kontinental Hockey League. The regular season originally began on 7 September 2011 with the Opening Cup game, but because of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, which killed all but one member of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, the start of the...
. In Sweden, over 10,000 relatives and fans of HV71
HV71
HV71, often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien...
attended Kinnarps Arena
Kinnarps Arena
Kinnarps Arena is an ice hockey venue in Jönköping, Sweden.The arena, which is located in the Rosenlund district of Jönköping, was built between September 1999 and September 2000...
, HV71's home arena, to mourn Swedish goaltender Stefan Liv
Stefan Liv
Stefan Daniel Patryk Liv was a Polish-born Swedish professional ice hockey player. Liv played professionally in Sweden, North America and Russia. Liv played nine seasons for HV71 in Sweden. He played one season of minor league hockey in North America then returned to Europe...
who died in the crash. On 12 September 2011, after the death of Alexander Galimov
Alexander Galimov
Alexander Saidgereyevich Galimov was a Russian professional ice hockey player. At the time of his death, he was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl marketing manager
Marketing management
Marketing management is a business discipline which is focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firm's marketing resources and activities...
Ivjiny Chuev said that it was likely that another memorial, this time specifically for Galimov, would be held on 13 September. The Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
, the team which Kārlis Skrastiņš
Karlis Skrastinš
Kārlis Skrastiņš was a Latvian professional ice hockey player. Skrastins was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League and was on board the team plane which crashed on September 7, 2011...
played for the previous two seasons, honored their former teammate by placing a decal with Skrastiņš's number (37) on the helmets of their players. Josef Vašíček
Josef Vasicek
Josef Vašíček was a Czech professional ice hockey player. Vasicek last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League and died when the team's aircraft charter crashed on September 7, 2011...
's former NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
, wore a commemorative patch on their jerseys this season. The Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
wore a patch on their 2011-2012 uniforms with the initials of Ruslan Salei
Ruslan Salei
Ruslan Albertovich "Rusty" Salei was a Belarusian professional ice hockey player. Salei played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who selected him ninth overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft...
, who had played for Detroit during the previous season, Brad McCrimmon
Brad McCrimmon
Byron Brad McCrimmon from Plenty, Saskatchewan, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. McCrimmon played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1997. From 1997 to his death, he was a coach, ultimately with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League...
, who had played for the team and been an assistant coach, and Stefan Liv
Stefan Liv
Stefan Daniel Patryk Liv was a Polish-born Swedish professional ice hockey player. Liv played professionally in Sweden, North America and Russia. Liv played nine seasons for HV71 in Sweden. He played one season of minor league hockey in North America then returned to Europe...
, who was drafted by Detroit and played for their minor-league team. The St. Louis Blues also held a memorial ceremony for former players Pavol Demitra
Pavol Demitra
Pavol Demitra was a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League , two in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League /Slovak Extraliga and one in the Kontinental Hockey League . Known as an offensive player, Demitra was a first- or second-line...
and Igor Korolev
Igor Korolev
Igor Borisovich Korolev was a Russian/Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Korolev played over 700 games in the National Hockey League from 1992 until 2004. Korolev returned to Russia, and played a further seven seasons in the Russian Super League and the Kontinental Hockey League ...
before their Nov. 8 game against the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. The Blues players will also wear a special '38' patch on their helmets in honour. The St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song "St. Louis Blues", and plays in the 19,150-seat Scottrade...
goaltender, Jaroslav Halak
Jaroslav Halák
Jaroslav Halák is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League . Halák was the 271st overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.-Montreal Canadiens:...
also had his 2011-12 goaltending mask made with a tribute to Demitra on the backplate.
On 11 September, President Medvedev ordered the grounding of all airlines "which are not adequately able to ensure passengers’ safety." A deadline of 15 November was set to put into place "measures be developed to stop Russian air carriers’ activities if they are not able to provide safe flights." Measures to bring aircraft up to international standards were to be sped up and the installation of new radio beacons to the latest COSPAS-SARSAT standard. Fines for violations of the regulations are to be increased. On 21 September 2011, Yak-Service had its operating licence revoked by Rosaviatsiya after an audit of flight operations of the airline and as a result of the crash.
On 28 September, the German Ice Hockey Federation announced that it would retire the #20 jersey of Robert Dietrich in Team Germany
Germany men's national ice hockey team
The German men's national ice hockey team first participated in serious international competition at the 1911 European Hockey Championship. When Germany was split after World War II, a separate East German national ice hockey team existed until 1990...
.
The 13 October 2011 game between the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
and Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, which feature Russian ice hockey players Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...
and Evgeny Malkin, was dedicated to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The teams wore commemorative Lokomotiv patches. All jerseys were autographed by the players and auctioned to raise funds for the families of those who died in the crash.
Investigation
The Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK), in accordance with Russian legislation, has opened an investigation into the circumstances and causes of the accident. Russian aviation authorities suspended all flights with the aircraft type after the accident pending checks of other existing aircraft of the same type.The flight recorders were recovered on 8 September 2011, according to Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin
Igor Levitin
Igor Yevgeniyevich Levitin is a Russian political figure who has been Minister of Transport since March 9, 2004.Between 1973 and 1980 Levitin served in the Soviet armed forces in Odessa and then with the Armies Southern Division...
, and sent to Moscow for examination. The fuel supply used for the plane was seized, and samples taken for analysis to determine if substandard fuel was used. The Investigative Committee commented that pilot error and mechanical malfunction were considered the two most likely causes for the crash. One question to be investigated is why the pilots continued to attempt the take-off, rather than use emergency braking. The pilots were experienced. Captain Andrei Solontsev had 6,900 hours of flight experience, 1,500 on Yak-42s, and first officer Sergei Zhuravlev 15,000 hours, although only 420 on the Yak-42, according to Okulov.
Conflicting opinions were given on the ability of the Yak-42 to take off with less than three engines operating. According to a report quoting the Federal Air Transport Agency
Federal Air Transport Agency
The Federal Air Transport Agency , also known as Rosaviatsiya , is the Russian government agency which is responsible for overseeing the civil aviation industry in Russia.- External links :...
, the plane can land and fly on two engines, but cannot take off if one engine shuts off. According to Shavkat Umarov, head of the Tatar
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
branch of Rosaviatsiya in Kazan
Kazan
Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...
, the Yak-42 can take-off using two engines.
According to the Technical Commission of the MAK, preliminary analysis of the flight recorders indicated that the plane's stabilizer
Tailplane
A tailplane, also known as horizontal stabilizer , is a small lifting surface located on the tail behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplanes...
was set to 8.7 degrees "nose up" and its wing flaps were in the take-off position of 20 degrees. The engines were functioning until "collision with obstacles." According to Russia's aviation authority, the flight recorders gave no indication of sub-standard fuel. An analysis of the fuel in the fuel tanks at Tunoshna Airport showed that it met requirements for aviation fuel. After the crash, the airport ordered that planes use fuel from elsewhere during the investigation.
The Technical Commission of the MAK released further findings on 12 September 2011. Among the findings:
- the engines continued working until the crash,
- the weather was ruled out as a cause of the crash,
- the crew carried out a check of all flight controls of the aircraft, including the elevator. The flight control surfaces responded as intended
- take-off weight was less than the maximum allowable for take-off,
- the plane had 14 tons of fuel on board, of which 8 tons was from the airport in Yaroslavl,
- prior to the takeoff, the stabilizer and flaps were set to takeoff position.
The committee has referred the study of the flight recorders and plane operation data to other research centers. The Technical Commission has established contacts with the investigation authorities of the countries whose citizen were on-board: Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, Latvia and Canada.
On 14 September 2011, a report in the newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets, quoting a source in the aviation industry, claimed that the parking brake of the plane was on during the take-off, which significantly slowed the plane down and prevented it from accelerating properly. According to this theory, captain Solontsev had turned over steering to the co-pilot before take-off, as he was not feeling well. As it is the commander's duty to release the brake, the co-pilot may not have been aware that it had not been done, or had forgotten to do so. Another newspaper, Lifenews.ru, reported that investigators were investigating the pilots' professional history, and that the pilots did not have sufficient experience on the Yak-42.
On 15 September 2011, a report by RT
Russia Today
Russia Today may refer to:* Russia Today, an English language 24-hour television news channel from Russia. It was launched in 2005 and is not related to an online news service of the similar name operated by EIN News...
stated that it was now believed that there is no evidence to show that the parking brake was engaged during the take off roll. RIA Novosti reported that Deputy Minister Okulov and Federal Air Transport Agency head Alexander Neradko both dismissed the theory in discussions with reporters at a press conference on 14 September. The theory was also discounted by Konstantin Malinin, a former test pilot of the Yak-42, who noted that an engaged parking brake would have left skid marks and pieces of rubber on the runway, and there were none found.
Two simulations of the crash are planned to help determine the cause. A 'virtual' simulation will use flight simulators. The data from the crashed Yak-42's flight recorders will be loaded into a simulator, which will then reconstruct the crash. A 'live' simulation will attempt to duplicate conditions of the crash, using a similar Yak-42, which will launch from Zhukovsky Airfield. The Gromov Flight Research Institute
Gromov Flight Research Institute
M. M. Gromov Flight Research Institute or LII for short is an important Russian aircraft test base, scientific research center located in Zhukovsky, 40 km south-east of Moscow.It has one of the longest runways in Europe at 5,403 m...
will conduct the tests. The Institute previously assisted the IAC in the investigation of the crash in 2010
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...
that killed the president of Poland, Lech Kaczynski
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
.
On 17 September, the MAK released further information about its investigation. The plane started on the runway with approximate usable length of 2700 metres (8,858.3 ft) from its starting position. The plane started down the runway with engines at nominal thrust. After six seconds, the engines were revved up to take-off thrust. Despite the increase of engine output, the plane did not increase in speed as expected. The Committee report speculates that this could have been due to some braking force, and the committee will send the remains of the plane's braking systems to a "specialized institution" for a special examination. The plane reached a maximum speed of 230 km/h. It did not lift off the ground until some 400 metres after the end of the runway. It then hit the airport beacon. The plane did not go more than 5-6 metres off the ground. It hit the beacon, deflected to the left and impacted the ground. The flaps and slats were in takeoff position, spoilers retracted, and the stabilizer set in a ten degree position. The elevator controls were still connected.
On 19 September, news channel Rossiya 24 published the last minute of dialog between the flight crew, from the voice recorder:
Captain: 74, 76.
Flight engineer: 74,76.
Captain: Time, headlights. We are taking off, top speed 190.
Captain: Three, four, five, nominal [engine thrust].
Flight engineer: Nominal [thrust] on.
Flight engineer: Speed is increasing. [Flight] parameters [are] normal. 130, 150, 170, 190, 210.
Captain: [Switch to] takeoff [thrust].
Flight engineer: 220, 230.
Co-pilot: Maybe [it's] the stabilizer.
Captain: Takeoff, takeoff [thrust]! Stabilizer!
Co-pilot: What are you doing?
Captain: Takeoff [thrust]!
Flight engineer: Takeoff [thrust] on.
Captain: /cursing/.
Co-pilot: Andrey!
According to test pilot Anatoly Knishov, in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on March 13th, 1925. It is published by "Izdatelsky Dom Komsomolskaya Pravda" .- History :...
, top speed 190 represents a decision point where, if failures occur before that speed, the plane must stop. At 210, Solontsev switched the engines to "takeoff mode" from "regular flight mode" or "nominal mode". According to Knishov, a nominal thrust/power mode is used for empty planes, while all loaded planes use a takeoff mode. In his opinion, the switchover from a nominal to takeoff mode was late and unusual, as engine mode for taking off is normally agreed upon before starting a take-off run.
Life News reported on 20 September the opinion of test pilot Magomed Tolboev. According to Tolboev, the cause of the disaster might have been a disagreement between the aircraft commander and the copilot. From examining a 100 metres (328.1 ft)-long skid mark on the runway, Tolboev suggested that one of them tried to brake, while the other was trying to take off. Tolboev also considered the Yak-42 to be a 'reliable vehicle', although not as advanced in its built and materials as contemporary Western models.
On Friday 23 September, Kyiv Post
Kyiv Post
The Kyiv Post is Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper.-History:The Kyiv Post was founded in September 1995 by an American, Jed Sunden. The paper covers politics, business and entertainment. The staff is a team of Western and Ukrainian journalists. Historically, the editorial policy has...
reported that the only survivor of the crash flight engineer Sizov was questioned by the investigative committee on 22 September. According to Sizov, no problems were noted in the preparation for the flight, and the plane had no problems during its previous flight. Sizov also described the distribution of the passengers and luggage on the airplane. Lokomotiv's coaches were in the front cabin of the plane, the players were in the rear cabin, and the luggage was carried in the rear luggage compartment. Kyiv Post also reported that a criminal investigation under Article 263 of the Criminal Code (flight safety violations causing two or more deaths) had been commenced.
On 10 October, the Gromov Institute began its series of test flights. The simulations will apply braking forces at different stages of the takeoff to determine what effects, if any, the forces affected the ability of the plane to reach a take-off angle and speed. The first flight created a baseline takeoff, without any braking force applied.
Simulation testing determined that pilot error was the cause as a braking force was found to have been applied by the chief pilot during takeoff. Using the plane's column and data from the flight recorder, the movement was only possible by pushing down on the brake pedals from the chief pilot's seat to push upwards on the plane's column. The investigating committee found evidence of the braking failure in the braking system.
The committee released its final report on 2 November 2011. The committee found several problems that led to the plane crash. The first was that the Yak-Service airline "did not properly control the quality of mastering the aircraft", finding that the crew did not train long enough on the Yak-42. The second was that the crew "did not calculate the takeoff parameters", changing the takeoff thrust during takeoff. While it was not determined which pilot applied the brakes, it was determined that one applied acceleration at the same time as the other applied braking. The second pilot was found to have a banned drug phenobarbitol in his system.
List of passengers and crew
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the aircraft manifest listed 8 crew members and 37 passengers as being aboard the flight. The only survivors were team player Alexander Galimov and crew member Alexander Sizov. All 43 bodies were recovered from the scene.According to eyewitnesses, both Galimov and Sizov were severely burned, but both were conscious when rescued at the scene. Both Galimov and Sizov were transported to Moscow for treatment. The two were placed in medically-induced comas to relieve stress, however, Galimov died on 12 September at the Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery. Sizov was moved from intensive care to a ward on 12 September, and his life was considered to be out of danger. On Friday, 28 October 2011, flight engineer and lone survivor of the plane crash, Alexander Sizov, was discharged from the hospital and is expected to go back into aviation, but may not fly again.
Team players
| Player | Age | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitaly Anikeyenko | 24 | Russia/Ukraine | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Mikhail Balandin Mikhail Balandin Mikhail Yuriyevich Balandin was a Russian professional ice hockey player. Balandin played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League at the time of his death. Balandin had also played for Salavat Yulaev Ufa, HC Lada Togliatti, HC CSKA Moscow, Mytishchi Khimik, Mytishchi Atlant and... |
31 | Russia | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Gennady Churilov Gennady Churilov Gennady Stanislavovich Churilov was a Russian professional ice hockey player. Churilov played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Death:... |
24 | Russia | C Centre (ice hockey) The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player... |
| Pavol Demitra Pavol Demitra Pavol Demitra was a Slovak professional ice hockey player. He played sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League , two in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League /Slovak Extraliga and one in the Kontinental Hockey League . Known as an offensive player, Demitra was a first- or second-line... |
36 | Slovakia | C Centre (ice hockey) The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player... |
| Robert Dietrich | 25 | Germany | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Alexander Galimov Alexander Galimov Alexander Saidgereyevich Galimov was a Russian professional ice hockey player. At the time of his death, he was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Playing career:... |
26 | Russia | LW Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink... |
| Marat Kalimulin Marat Kalimulin Marat Natfulovich Kalimulin was a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League... |
23 | Russia | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Alexander Kalyanin Alexander Kalyanin Alexander Igorevich Kalyanin was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Death:... |
23 | Russia | RW Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink... |
| Andrei Kiryukhin Andrei Kiryukhin Andrei Anatolievich Kiryukhin was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .Besides Lokomotiv, he also played for Lokomotiv-2 , Belgorod and Kapitan teams.... |
24 | Russia | RW Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink... |
| Nikita Klyukin Nikita Klyukin Nikita Sergeyevich Klyukin was a Russian professional ice hockey centre who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Death:... |
21 | Russia | C Centre (ice hockey) The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player... |
| Stefan Liv Stefan Liv Stefan Daniel Patryk Liv was a Polish-born Swedish professional ice hockey player. Liv played professionally in Sweden, North America and Russia. Liv played nine seasons for HV71 in Sweden. He played one season of minor league hockey in North America then returned to Europe... |
30 | Sweden | G Goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring... |
| Jan Marek | 31 | Czech Republic | C Centre (ice hockey) The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player... |
| Sergei Ostapchuk Sergei Ostapchuk Sergei Igorevich Ostapchuk was an ice hockey player. He was playing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL.... |
21 | Belarus | LW Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink... |
| Karel Rachůnek Karel Rachunek Karel Rachůnek was a Czech professional ice hockey player. Rachunek was the captain of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League when the team's plane crashed on September 7, 2011. He played eight seasons in North America in the National Hockey League... |
32 | Czech Republic | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Ruslan Salei Ruslan Salei Ruslan Albertovich "Rusty" Salei was a Belarusian professional ice hockey player. Salei played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who selected him ninth overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft... |
36 | Belarus | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Maxim Shuvalov Maxim Shuvalov Maxim Alexeyevich Shuvalov was a Russian professional ice hockey player who at the time of his death would have played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Biography:... |
18 | Russia | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Kārlis Skrastiņš Karlis Skrastinš Kārlis Skrastiņš was a Latvian professional ice hockey player. Skrastins was a member of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League and was on board the team plane which crashed on September 7, 2011... |
37 | Latvia | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Pavel Snurnitsyn Pavel Snurnitsyn Pavel Sergeyevich Snurnitsyn was a Russian professional ice hockey player who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League. In August 2011, Snurnitsyn was among two players from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl selected to play for the Russian Under-20 youth national team of Russia... |
19 | Russia | F Forward (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in... |
| Daniil Sobchenko Daniil Sobchenko Danylo Yevhenovych "Daniil" Sobchenko was a Ukrainian-Russian professional ice hockey player. Born in Kiev, Sobchenko spent the entirety of his professional hockey career with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League... |
20 | Russia/Ukraine | C Centre (ice hockey) The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player... |
| Ivan Tkachenko Ivan Tkachenko (ice hockey) Ivan Leonidovich Tkachenko was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League... |
31 | Russia | LW Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink... |
| Pavel Trakhanov Pavel Trakhanov Pavel Sergeyevich Trakhanov was a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Death:... |
33 | Russia | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Yuri Urychev Yuri Urychev Yuri Olegovich Urychev was a Russian professional ice hockey player who at the time of his death played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League.- Death :... |
20 | Russia | D Defenceman (ice hockey) Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring... |
| Josef Vašíček Josef Vasicek Josef Vašíček was a Czech professional ice hockey player. Vasicek last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League and died when the team's aircraft charter crashed on September 7, 2011... |
30 | Czech Republic | C Centre (ice hockey) The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player... |
| Alexander Vasyunov Alexander Vasyunov Alexander Sergeevich Vasyunov was a Russian ice hockey player who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Kontinental Hockey League.Alexander Vasyunov was a prospect for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL. Vasyunov died on September 7, 2011 in a plane crash, along with his entire Lokomotiv team, just... |
23 | Russia | LW Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink... |
| Alexander Vyukhin Alexander Vyukhin Alexander Vyukhin was a Ukrainian professional ice hockey goaltender who last played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League . He perished in the tragic Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash outside of Yaroslavl.-Playing career:... |
38 | Russia/Ukraine | G Goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring... |
| Artem Yarchuk Artem Yarchuk Artem Nikolayevich Yarchuk was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League .-Death:... |
21 | Russia | LW Winger (ice hockey) Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink... |
NotesA. 2000 Lady Byng Trophy winnerB. 2006 Olympic champion
Ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics
-Leading scorers:-Leading goaltenders:Goalkeepers with 40% or more of their team's total minutes.-Awards:Antero Niittymäki was named the most valuable player and received the Directorate Award for best goaltender of the tournament. Directorate Awards also went to Teemu Selänne for best forward, and...
and 2006 World champion
2006 IIHF World Championship
-Group B :All times local - Group C :All times local - Group D :All times local -Qualifying round:The top three teams from each group in the Preliminary round advance to the Qualifying Round...
C. 2010 World champion
2010 IIHF World Championship
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen...
D. 2005 World champion
2005 IIHF World Championship
- Group B :All times local - Group C :All times local - Group D :All times local -Qualifying round:The top three teams from each group in the First Round advance to the qualifying round...
and 2006 Stanley Cup champion
2006 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2006 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2005–06 season. As a culmination of the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers...
E. Player had dual citizenship (Russian and Ukrainian
Ukrainian citizenship
Citizenship of Ukraine is governed by the Law on Citizenship of Ukraine and by the Ukrainian Constitution.-Definition of Ukrainian citizenship:Citizens of Ukraine are defined as:...
although dual citizenship is not recognized in Ukraine)
- Yuri UrychevYuri UrychevYuri Olegovich Urychev was a Russian professional ice hockey player who at the time of his death played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League.- Death :...
was injured and suspended at the time and was not originally scheduled to fly to the game, but he volunteered to go to support the team even though he would not be able to play. Forward Maksim Zyuzyakin, 20, was left behind in Yaroslavl.
Team staff
| Name | Age | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yuri Bakhvalov | – | – | Physician/Massage Therapist |
| Aleksandr Belyaev | – | – | Equipment Manager/Massage Therapist |
| Alexander Karpovtsev Alexander Karpovtsev Alexander Karpovtsev was a Russian ice hockey player and later an assistant coach for Ak Bars Kazan and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League... |
41 | Russia | Assistant Coach |
| Igor Korolev Igor Korolev Igor Borisovich Korolev was a Russian/Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Korolev played over 700 games in the National Hockey League from 1992 until 2004. Korolev returned to Russia, and played a further seven seasons in the Russian Super League and the Kontinental Hockey League ... |
41 | Russia/Canada | Assistant Coach |
| Nikolai Krivonosov | 31 | Belarus | Fitness Coach |
| Yevgeni Kunnov | – | – | Massage Therapist |
| Vyacheslav Kuznetsov | – | Russia | Massage Therapist |
| Brad McCrimmon Brad McCrimmon Byron Brad McCrimmon from Plenty, Saskatchewan, was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. McCrimmon played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1979 and 1997. From 1997 to his death, he was a coach, ultimately with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League... |
52 | Canada | Head Coach |
| Vladimir Piskunov | 52 | Russia | Administrator |
| Yevgeni Sidorov | – | Russia | Coach-Analyst |
| Andrei Zimin | – | – | Team Doctor |
NotesA. 1993 World champion
1993 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
- Group 2 :- Quarterfinals :- Consolation Round 9-12 Place :- Semifinals :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :Switzerland was relegated to Group B.- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :...
and 1994 Stanley Cup champion
1994 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...
B. 1989 Stanley Cup champion
1989 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1989 Stanley Cup Final was between the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens, the top two teams during the 1988–89 NHL regular season. , this is the most recent time that the first two seeds met in the Stanley Cup Final, as the New Jersey Devils had one win less than the Detroit Red Wings...
C. Korolev was a Russian-born Canadian citizen.
- Goalkeeper coach Jorma ValtonenJorma ValtonenPertti Leo Jorma Valtonen is a retired professional ice hockey player who played in the SM-liiga.Valtonen, who was born in Turku, Finland, played for Jokerit, TPS, Rosenlewin Urheilijat -38 and Ässät. In Italy Valtonen played for Gardena ja HC Alleghe. In West Germany he played for EHC 70 München...
was not on the plane as he stayed behind to work with the junior team.
Flight crew
| Person | Title |
|---|---|
| Nadezhda Maksumova | Flight attendant |
| Vladimir Matyushin | Flight engineer |
| Elena Sarmatova | Flight attendant |
| Elena Shavina | Flight attendant |
| Alexander Sizov | Flight engineer |
| Andrei Solomentsev | Captain |
| Igor Zhivelov | First Officer |
| Sergei Zhuravlev | First Officer |
See also
External links
Investigation into the crash - Interstate Aviation Committee Topic of news from RIA Novosti- Aviation Safety Network accident database, accident description