Lokomotiv crash investigation concludes flight crew was allowed to fly unlawfully

Two and a half years after the plane crash that took lives of the entire Lokomotiv KHL team, authorities finished their investigations into the crash, concluding that the flight crew was allowed to fly unlawfully, according to First Yaroslavl TV Channel and Sovetsky Sport.

Investigators performed forensic analysis of all evidence, interviewed hundreds of witnesses of the crash, spoke to the relatives of players and coaches and employees of Yak Service airline that was responsible for the flight. Following the investigation, only one person will be criminally charged as a result of the crash – the former deputy general director of Yak Service airline Vadim Timofeyev. Working at the airline he was responsible for flight operations. The prosecutors are charging Timofeyev with criminal negligence related to safety and operation of a plane.

The official spokesman of the Investigations Committee Vladimir Markov issued a statement saying, “The flight crew was unlawfully sanctioned to fly by Timofeyev in violation of air transportation operations, and at the time of the flight it didn’t have the authorization to fly independently. In particular, the captain of the plane was cleared to fly by Timofeyev based on falsified documentation; the second pilot at the time had not yet completed his retraining for the type of aircraft Yak-42 was, and did not have the authority to fly.”

At this time the accused will be presented with the findings of the investigation, and will be studying the discovery file. Relatives of the victims will do the same. Investigators will meet with them in the beginning of the summer in Yaroslavl. It is not known at this time how long the review process will take, and the trial date has not yet been set. If found guilty, Timofeyev will be facing up to seven years in prison.