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Phenobarbital found in blood of Yak-42 second pilot

The second pilot had leg coordination disturbances and the deep sensibility disorders of lower extremities

MOSCOW, November 2 (Itar-Tass) — Phenobarbital, which has a negative impact on the nervous system, was found in the blood of the second pilot of an Yak-42 airplane, which crashed outside Yaroslavl, the chairman of the technical committee of the Interstate Aviation Commission (MAK) Alexei Morozov said on Wednesday.

“Phenobarbital has a strong inhibitory influence on the central nervous system. After taking the medicine people cannot be permitted to make flights,” he said.

The second pilot had health problems and turned for medical aid, Morozov said. He had leg coordination disturbances and the deep sensibility disorders of lower extremities.

According to the medical documentation produced for the second pilot with the reference to a neurologist supervising him, the second pilot had weaker reflexes in the legs since 2000 and weaker reflexes in the hands since 2005 that is the indirect link to affected peripheral nerves that points to polyneuropathy he developed, the neurological examination board concluded. The neurological examination board included the neurologists from the central medical flight expert committee of the civil aviation, the central medical flight expert committee of the Defence Ministry and the Vishnevsky Neurology Center of the Defence Ministry.

“The diagnosis is confirmed by the fact that the medicine neuromedin, which the neurologist prescribed to the second pilot after a private medical consultation in 2007, is used to improve the neuromuscular transmission. Polyneuropathy is particularly exposed in leg coordination disturbances and the loss of control over their position, as a result of the disorder of extremities and the deep sensibility disorders of lower extremities,” Morozov elaborated.

He also noted that “the forensic expertise has detected phenobarbital in the blood of the second pilot that has a strong inhibitory influence on the nervous system and is banned for use by the pilots.”