MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. Russia’s Investigative Committee is looking into two main versions of the L-410 plane crash in the Irkutsk Region - a technical error and a pilot error, the Committee’s official spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko told TASS on Monday.
"The investigation is considering a pilot error during the landing maneuvers and a technical malfunction as the main versions of the accident," she informed.
The spokeswoman said that chief of Russia’s Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin submitted a criminal case on the plane crash to the Investigative Committee’s headquarters. "Upon the instructions of the chairman of the Investigative Committee, a criminal case for a definitive investigation was filed with the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee," she said. The probe will be conducted under Part 3, Article 263 of Russia’s Criminal Code (violating air transport service instructions and traffic leading to the deaths of two and more individuals).
Currently, detectives from the central headquarters and forensic specialists of the Investigative Committee’s Main Forensics Directorate are continuing to inspect the scene of the accident. In the near future, the specialists will begin deciphering parametric data taped by an onboard recorder. "Flight documentation, and fuel and technical fluid samples were collected at Irkutsk’s airport. Chemical and medical forensic examinations were scheduled," the spokesperson said. Detectives are questioning the individuals responsible for arranging and performing the flight as well as for the plane’s operations and maintenance.
According to the Investigative Committee, on September 12, an L-410 passenger plane operated by the Aeroservice air company took off from Irkutsk heading to an airport in the township of Kazachinskoye with two crewmembers and 14 passengers on board. About 4 kilometers from its destination and under heavy fog conditions, the plane made an emergency landing in a hard-to-reach area. Subsequently, four people were killed, with the others on board sustaining injuries. The survivors are currently receiving medical assistance.