2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster

2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster.

The Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster occurred at 4:05 P.M. Moscow Time on Wednesday, September 7, 2011, when Yak-Service Flight 9633, a Yak-Service Yakovlev Yak-42, carrying the players and coaching staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team, crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl. The aircraft ran off the runway before lifting off, struck a tower mast, caught fire and crashed 2 km (1.2 mi) from Tunoshna Airport at the Volga River bank. Of the 45 on board, 43 died at the crash site. One of the two rescued from the wreck, Alexander Galimov, died five days later in hospital. Only the avionics flight engineer, Alexander Sizov, survived.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a member of the Kontinental Hockey League(KHL), Russia's top ice hockey league, was on its way to Minsk,Belarus, to start the 2011–12 season. All players from the main roster and four from the youth team were on board the aircraft. Because of the tragedy, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl chose to cancel their participation in the 2011–12 KHL season. The club instead participated in the 2011–12 season of the Russian Major League(VHL), the second-ranked ice hockey league in Russia after the KHL, starting in December 2011, and were eligible for the VHL playoffs. The KHL temporarily suspended its season-opening game already in progress and postponed the start of the season by five days.

Investigation of the crash focused on pilot error and technical failures. An investigative committee was set up which examined Yak-Service's records, conditions at the airport, plane wreckage and flight recorder data. Simulations of the plane takeoff were held to compare with recovered flight recorder data. Testing determined that pilot error was the cause as a braking force was found to have been applied by the chief pilot during takeoff.

 The investigating committee released its report at a press conference on November 2, 2011. According to Alexei Morozov, chief of the investigative commission: "the immediate cause of the Yak-42 plane crash was the plane crew's erroneous actions, namely the pilot stepping on the brake pedals before raising the nose wheel because of the wrong position of the feet on the brake platforms during takeoff." It was later revealed that the pilots were illegally flying the plane, having falsified needed documents to gain permission to fly the plane. The co-pilot had been treated for a nerve disease, which meant flying was supposed to be forbidden for him. Investigators say he did not feel his foot on the brake, leading to the deaths of all but one of the people aboard the aircraft.

Accident

The Yakovlev Yak-42D involved in the accident is seen in 2006 while in operation for Aero Rent. The Aero Rent decal is below the much bigger Proton decal.

Weather conditions at Tunoshna Airport on September 7, 2011, were described as good, with a wind from 360° at 11 kilometres per hour (6.8 mph), a visibility of 10 kilometres (6.2 mi), with significant stratocumulus clouds at a lower limit of 990 metres (3,250 ft). The temperature was 17.8 °C (64.0 °F). The Yak-Service Yak-42D aircraft entered Runway 05/23 at taxiway 5, 300 metres (980 ft) from the start of the runway. Runway 05/23 is 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) long, leaving 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) for take-off. The aircraft was cleared for take-off. It accelerated to an estimated 230 kilometres per hour (140 mph) but failed to lift off from the runway. The plane ran off past the end of the runway for a distance of 400 metres (1,300 ft) before it lifted off from the ground. From that point, the plane struck a beacon tower mast located about 450 metres (1,480 ft) from the end of the runway. The plane did not reach a flying altitude, never exceeding an estimated 6 metres (20 ft) from the ground.

After it struck the tower mast, the plane veered left and crashed on the riverbank of the Tunoshna River, 200 metres (660 ft) from where it joins the Volga River, losing its tail assembly on impact while the front part of the jet disintegrated. At the impact site, the tail section remained in the water, while the pieces of the fuselage were on dry land. The location of the wreckage was approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the end of the runway.

Witness reports described the plane as "bursting into flames" after hitting the mast. The airplane's direction changed after hitting the mast, described as "rolling to the left" and then the plane impacted the ground. Another witness report described that the plane's engines went silent moments before the crash. Another report indicated that the plane hit some trees before it crashed. Another report indicated that the plane broke into two before impacting. A security surveillance camera mounted on the mast recorded the approach of the airplane at high speed, running off the end of the runway, only metres above the ground, the nose pulling up moments before impacting the mast. Debris from the aircraft was found just past the mast site, continuing from that point to the crash site. The plane's crew did not report any technical problems to the airport controllers.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

At the time of the crash, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was one of the top ice hockey teams in Russia, originally established in 1959. The team won the Russian Open Championship in 1997, 2002 and 2003, and were finalists in 2008 and 2009, making it to the third round of the playoffs in four straight seasons. Lokomotiv lost in the 2010 KHL Western Conference Finals 4–3 to HC MVD, and lost in the 2011 KHL Western Conference Finals 4–2 to Atlant. Several players were about to make their debut with the team, including former National Hockey League (NHL) players Ruslan Salei and "iron man" Kārlis Skrastiņš.

 Also set to make their coaching debuts were former NHL players Igor Korolev and Brad McCrimmon.

Reaction

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who had been on his way to Yaroslavl for the Yaroslavl Global Policy Forum, sent his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash, and visited the crash site along with Governor of Yaroslavl Oblast Sergey Vakhrukov. René Fasel, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, called the crash "the darkest day in the history of our sport." Manchester United chief executive David Gill wrote to the Russian side to offer support and sympathy after hearing of the tragedy, which bore unsettling similarities to the Munich air disaster which cost 23 United players, staff and journalists their lives in 1958. Yaroslavl announced a three-day period of mourning from Friday September 9, 2011 to Sunday September 11, 2011.

Upon hearing the news of the accident, KHL officials stopped and postponed the Salavat Yulaev Ufa–Atlant Moscow Oblast game already in progress. The game was suspended in the second period, and KHL president Alexander Medvedev addressed the audience at the game, informing them of the details of the tragedy. Medvedev promised "We will do our best to keep the high-level hockey in Yaroslavl." A minute of silence was held and the audience exited the arena. The two teams left to go to a nearby church. The following day in Minsk, at the arena where Yaroslavl was to play its first game of the season, a requiem mass was held to honor the dead. The KHL resumed its 2011–12 season on September 12, 2011, with seven games. All games were preceded with a minute of silence.

Early into New York Islanders training camp, goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, having played the previous season in the KHL, was deeply saddened by the news and was quoted as saying

"I think I knew 80 percent of the team. Either I played with them or I played against them. You see each other in different tournaments. Some of them you're really close with, or some them you just say hi and have a couple of laughs with. [...] It struck me when I found out. I was at breakfast and reading the Russian newspapers and all of a sudden, it popped up. It's almost like you don't want to believe something like that. It's tough. You have chills and you just hope that the families will find the strength to fight through something like that."

On Saturday, September 10, 2011, memorial services for the players were held in countries where the players came from. The biggest services which were held in Arena 2000, the home arena of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, were attended by thousands of mourners as well as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Local police determined the crowd number at Lokomotiv's home arena to be roughly 100,000. Lokomotiv executives met to discuss the team's future. In the discussion, team president Yuri Yakovlev announced that Lokomotiv would not participate in the 2011–12 KHL season. In Sweden, over 10,000 relatives and fans of HV71 attended Kinnarps Arena, HV71's home arena, to mourn Swedish goaltender Stefan Liv who died in the crash. On September 12, 2011, after the death of Alexander Galimov, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl marketing manager Ivjiny Chuev said that another memorial, this time specifically for Galimov, would be held on September 13, 2011.

The Dallas Stars, the team which Kārlis Skrastiņš played for the previous two seasons, honored their former teammate by placing a decal with Skrastiņš's number (37) on the helmets of their players. Josef Vašíček's former NHL team, the Carolina Hurricanes, wore a commemorative patch on their jerseys during the season. The Detroit Red Wings wore a patch on their 2011–2012 uniforms with the initials of Ruslan Salei, who had played for Detroit during the previous season. The Red Wings also had ties to Brad McCrimmon, who had played for the team and been an assistant coach, and Stefan Liv, who was drafted by Detroit and played for their minor-league team. Furthermore, the Anaheim Ducks embroidered Salei's number (#24) on their jerseys for the season. The New Jersey Devils wore a commemorative patch on their jerseys honoring former Devils players Karel Rachunek and Alexander Vasyunov. The St. Louis Blues also held a memorial ceremony for former players Pavol Demitra and Igor Korolev before their 8 Nov game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blues players also wore a special '38' patch on their helmets in honour. The St. Louis Blues goaltender, Jaroslav Halak also had his 2011–12 goaltending mask made with a tribute to Demitra on the backplate.

On September 11, 2011, President Medvedev ordered the grounding of all airlines "which are not adequately able to ensure passengers' safety." A deadline of November 15, 2011, was set to put into place "measures be developed to stop Russian air carriers' activities if they are not able to provide safe flights." Measures to bring aircraft up to international standards were to be sped up and the installation of new radio beacons to the latest COSPAS-SARSAT standard. Fines for violations of the regulations are to be increased. On September 21, 2011, Yak-Service had its operating licence revoked by Rosaviatsiya after an audit of flight operations of the airline and as a result of the crash.

On September 28, 2011, the German Ice Hockey Federation announced that it would retire the No. 20 jersey of Robert Dietrich in Team Germany.  13 October 2011 game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, which featured Russian ice hockey players Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, was dedicated to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The teams wore commemorative Lokomotiv patches. All jerseys were autographed by the players and auctioned to raise funds for the families of those who died in the crash.

On March 12, 2012, the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation announced that it would retire the No. 7 jersey of Kārlis Skrastiņš in Team Latvia.

On March 24, 2012, the Dallas Stars held a pre-game ceremony with Skrastins' family and announced a trust fund for Skrastins' children. 

Similarly, Czech Ice Hockey Association decided to retire Czech Republic men's national ice hockey team jersey numbers in honor of its three late players. No. 4 of Karel Rachunek, No. 15 of Jan Marek, and No. 63 of Josef Vasicek are taken from circulation ever since.

 

List of passengers and crew

 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Turkish PresidentAbdullah Gül laying flowers outside Arena-2000 in Yaroslavl on September 8, 2011.

 

Tributes left by Slovak fans nearOndrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava on September 9, 2011.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the aircraft manifest listed 8 crew members and 37 passengers as being aboard the flight. The only survivors were team player Alexander Galimov and crew member Alexander Sizov. All 43 bodies were recovered from the scene.

According to eyewitnesses, both Galimov and Sizov were severely burned, but both were conscious when rescued at the scene. Both Galimov and Sizov were transported to Moscow for treatment.[56] The two were placed in medically induced comas to relieve stress; however, Galimov died on September 12, 2011, at the Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery. Sizov was moved from intensive care to a ward on September 12, 2011, and his life was considered to be out of danger. On Friday, 28 October 2011, flight engineer and lone survivor of the plane crash, Alexander Sizov, was discharged from the hospital and is expected to go back into aviation, but may not fly again.

Victims

Vitaly Anikeyenko 24 Russia D 

Mikhail Balandin 31 Russia D

Gennady Churilov 24 Russia C 

Pavol Demitra [A] 36 Slovakia C 

Robert Dietrich 25 Germany D 

Alexander Galimov 26 Russia L W 

Marat Kalimulin 23 Russia D 

Alexander Kalyanin 23 Russia RW

Andrei Kiryukhin 24 Russia RW

Nikita Klyukin 21 Russia C

Stefan Liv 30 Sweden G 

Jan Marek 31 Czech Republic C 

Sergei Ostapchuk 21 Belarus LW 

Karel Rachůnek 32 Czech Republic D 

Ruslan Salei 36 Belarus D

Maxim Shuvalov 18 Russia D

Kārlis Skrastiņš 37 Latvia D 

Pavel Snurnitsyn 19 Russia F

Daniil Sobchenko 20 Russia C 

Ivan Tkachenko 31 Russia LW 

Pavel Trakhanov 33 Russia D 

Yuri Urychev 20 Russia D 

Josef Vašíček 30 Czech Republic C 

Alexander Vasyunov 23 Russia LW 

Alexander Vyukhin 38 Ukraine G 

Artem Yarchuk 21 Russia LW

Notes

• ^ A. 2000 Lady Byng Trophy winner, three-time NHL All-Star
• ^ B. 2006 Olympic champion and 2006 World champion
• ^ C. 2010 World champion
• ^ D. 2005 World champion and 2006 Stanley Cup champion
• ^ E. Player had dual citizenship (Russian and Ukrainian although dual citizenship is not recognized in Ukraine)
• Yuri Urychev was injured and suspended at the time and was not originally scheduled to fly to the game, but he volunteered to go to support the team even though he was not able to play. Forward Maxim Zyuzyakin, 20, was left behind in Yaroslavl.

Team staff[edit]

NameAgeCountryTitleYuri Bakhvalov––Physician/Massage TherapistAleksandr Belyaev––Equipment Manager/Massage TherapistAlexander Karpovtsev[A]41RussiaAssistant CoachIgor Korolev[C]41Russia/CanadaAssistant CoachNikolai Krivonosov31BelarusFitness CoachYevgeni Kunnov––Massage TherapistVyacheslav Kuznetsov–RussiaMassage TherapistBrad McCrimmon[B]52CanadaHead CoachVladimir Piskunov52RussiaAdministratorYevgeni Sidorov–RussiaCoach-AnalystAndrei Zimin––Team Doctor

Notes

• ^ A. 1993 World champion and 1994 Stanley Cup champion
• ^ B. 1989 Stanley Cup champion
• ^ C. Korolev became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 2000 but had dual Russian and Canadian citizenship.
• Goalkeeper coach Jorma Valtonen was not on the plane as he stayed behind to work with the junior team.

Flight crew

Nadezhda Maksumova Flight attendan

tVladimir Matyushin Flight engineer

Elena Sarmatova Flight attendant

Elena Shavina Flight attendant 

Alexander Sizov Avionic engineer

Andrei Solomentsev Captain 

Igor Zhivelov First Officer

Sergei Zhuravlev First Officer