Probe: Yaroslavl crash caused by pilot error

A Russian jet crash that killed 44 people, including an entire professional ice hockey team, was caused by pilot error, investigators said yesterday, putting the blame on poor training and safety standards.

The Interstate Aviation Committee said the Sept. 7 crash of the Yak-42 plane near the city of Yaroslavl in central Russia occurred because one of the pilots accidentally activated the brakes during takeoff and then lifted the jet too sharply. The crew still had enough time to abort the takeoff safely at the moment when they realized that it had gone wrong, it was said.

It was one of the worst disasters ever in sports, shocking Russia and the hockey world, as the dead included 36 players, coaches and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team. The only player who survived the crash later died of burns. The team had been heading to Minsk to play a Kontinental Hockey League game.