Pilot Error Suspected in Russia Plane Crash

Fifty people died after a Boeing passenger plane crashed on landing in the city of Kazan in central Russia on Sunday, photo EPA/BGNES

A pilot error may have caused the latest Russian plane crash which killed 50 people in Kazan, according to investigators.

The Interstate Aviation Committee, which investigates crashes in Russia and much of the rest of the former Soviet Union, said in its initial report Tuesday that the plane's engines and other systems were working fine until the moment it hit the ground.

The pilots first tried to pull the plane up but as it lost speed, they threw it into a steep dive from which it couldn't recover, the report says, according to international media.

The Boeing 737 passenger plane plunged vertically when it crashed and burst into flames Sunday afternoon, killing all onboard, while trying to touch down at the Russian airport of Kazan.

Leading international media reported Monday that the 23-year-old plane entered service in 1990 and had several previous owners – French Euralair Horizons (now defunct), Air France, Uganda Airlines, Brazil's Rio Sul, Romania's Blue Air and lastly belonged to Bulgaria's national flag career, Bulgaria Air.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!