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Pilot error blamed for October 2009 crash of business jet near Minsk

 

A pilot error caused the crash of a Russian business jet near Minsk on October 26, 2009, the Interstate Aviation Committee concluded.

The Hawker-125-800B executive jet crashed a mile away from Minsk National Airport's runway, killing all five people aboard.

The Interstate Aviation Committee's report said that the plane's pilots had failed to make a timely decision to abort the initial landing attempt and turn away and make another attempt at landing. According to the report, the plane descended below the decision altitude when landmarks were not visible, while the pilots failed to produce a proper response to warnings given by the aircraft's Terrain Awareness and Warning System, which resulted in the plane's "collision with trees and ground."

The Interstate Aviation Committee, which investigates aircraft accidents in the Commonwealth of Independent States, said that the captain of the crew had not received enough training to pilot this type of aircraft.

The aircraft belonged to S-Air, a Moscow-based company that runs a fleet of luxuriously appointed private jets. The head of the S-Air airline, Marat Romashkin, his bodyguard and three crew members died in the accident.

Made in 1987, the jet was operated by S-Air since July 2008. // BelaPAN