KAZAKN, October 10. /TASS/. The L-410 plane crash in Tatarstan could not be averted when the plane was in mid-air, Ravil Nurmekhametov, chief of the Menzelinsky branch of Tatarstan Central Aeroclub, said on Sunday.
"The tragedy could not be averted. The plane was in the air and there were no signs of problems," he said, adding that the plane took off routinely. The pilots reported an engine failure when the plane was at an altitude of 70 meters and said that the situation was under control.
According to Nurmekhametov, the crew followed all instructions but failed to land the plane "properly." Such situations, in his words, are drilled during training.
He said that the L-410 plane is well-designed and can land both in the field or on water, if need be. He ruled out a pilot’s error during the crash landing, saying that they were highly-qualified professionals.
An L-410 plane with 20 parachute jumpers and two pilots made a crash landing in Tatarstan’s Menzelinsky district at 09:00 Moscow time on Sunday morning. Sixteen people were killed and six more were injured.
According to Tatarstan’s president, the pilots reported an engine failure and requested an emergency landing.
A criminal case was opened on charges of violating flight safety and aircraft operation rules entailing the death of two or more people through negligence (part 3, article 263 of the Russian Criminal Code). An investigation is underway.