Russian Investigators Include Poor Crew Resource Management In Causes

Russian investigators are now saying there were several factors involved in the crash of a RusAir Tu-134 airliner (file photo shown) just minutes before it was scheduled to land June 20 at Petrozavodsk airport in northwest Russia. Of the 52 onboard, including four flight crew members, only five people survived.

The accident occurred in heavy fog. Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee found the pilots could not see the runway, but continued on with the approach anyway. They struck trees before the plane came down on a highway.

Investigators also criticized the interaction of the crew, saying the flight's commander essentially subordinated himself to the navigator, and the co-pilot was excluded from decision-making.

But what's making headlines is the finding that that navigator was intoxicated after consuming what's thought to have been a glass of vodka before departure.

The Tu-134 was 31 years old, and the aging Russian fleet has been criticized by Russian politicians, but outsiders say that's not the real issue. The Associated Press notes experts say Russia and other former Soviet republics suffer from poor crew training, crumbling airports, lax government controls and widespread neglect of safety in the pursuit of profits.

In response to the September crash of a 7 crash of a Yak-42 which killed 44 people, President Dmitry Medvedev ordered officials to close down smaller airlines he said were cutting corners on safety, and suggested an end to subsidies of domestic manufacturers in favor of buying more modern, imported aircraft.

At the time, Medvedev commented, "The value of human life must prevail over all other considerations, such as support for local producers."

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-134