Holiday Crash Killed 170

Pilot error led a Russian jet to crash last August, killing all 170 passengers and crew, according to an official Russian government report published Saturday.

The Russian-made Tu-154, operated by Russian carrier Pulkovo Airlines, was flying vacationers home from Russia's Black Sea resort of Anapa when it crashed August 22 in eastern Ukraine, reported Reuters.

The Russian government launched an inquiry into aviation safety following the tragedy.

The report issued by Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee said the crew pushed the aircraft beyond its limits as they attempted to fly around a thunder storm.

"The reason for the disaster ... was the steering of the aircraft under manual control into an angle of attack that was beyond critical, a stall, and the subsequent transition into a flat spin and a collision with the ground," the report said.

"A failure to monitor flight speed and non-compliance with instructions .... on preventing the aircraft stalling ... made it impossible to stop the situation becoming catastrophic," said the report.

Although it was initially reported that the storm caused the plane to crash, the accident report claimed the weather should not have been a major problem. It also made note of the shortcomings in the pilots' training.

Safety standards in Russian civil aviation were said to have plummeted after the collapse of the Soviet Union, with substantial improvement since. Last year, however, there were three major crashes in Russia or involving Russian airlines that killed 405 people.

FMI: www.mak.ru