Russian crash
September 19, 2011
The navigator of a Russian plane that crashed onto a highway in June was drunk, according to an official report published Monday.
Forty-seven people were killed as the crew attempted a landing in poor weather in the Karelia region, near Finland. The RusAir TU-134 failed to make the runway and instead hurtled onto a highway and caught fire.
The navigator "was in a light state of alcoholic intoxication" with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.81, the Interstate Aviation Committee said in a report posted on its website. Russia has a zero tolerance policy for blood alcohol levels.
The report did not determine the navigator's intoxication to be the sole factor in the crash, citing instead the crew's incorrect decision not to abort the landing amid poor visibility.
The report's findings come amid a separate investigation into the crash of a plane carrying a top ice hockey team earlier this month, the latest in a series of disasters involving outdated Soviet-era planes.
Following the latest crash, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered his government to increase the fines for air safety violations.
Author: Sarah Harman (AFP, AP)
Editor: Martin Kuebler