Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash

YAK-Service Flight 9633
The wreckage of Yak Service Flight 9633 in Volga River
Accident
Date7 September 2011 (2011-09-07)
SummaryStalled and crashed during take-off caused by improper takeoff configuration leading to runway overrun
Site2 km (1.2 mi) west of Tunoshna Airport, Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia
57°33′01″N 40°07′18″E / 57.55028°N 40.12167°E / 57.55028; 40.12167
Aircraft

RA-42434, the Yak-42D involved in the accident
Aircraft typeYakovlev Yak-42D
OperatorYAK-Service
ICAO flight No.AKY9633
Call sign434
RegistrationRA-42434
Flight originTunoshna Airport, Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia
DestinationMinsk National Airport, Minsk, Minsk Oblast, Belarus
Occupants45
Passengers37
Crew8
Fatalities44
Injuries1
Survivors1

On 7 September 2011, YAK-Service Flight 9633, carrying players and coaching staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team, crashed during take-off near Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia. All but one of the 45 people on board were killed. The aircraft overran the runway at Tunoshna Airport before briefly lifting off, striking an antenna mast, catching fire, and crashing on the bank of the Volga river. The tragedy is commonly known as the Lokomotiv hockey team disaster.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, a member of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), was on its way to Minsk, Belarus, to start the 2011–12 season. All players from the main roster (with the exception of Maxim Zyuzyakin) and four from the youth team were on board and died in the accident. The only survivor was the aircraft's mechanic; one player also survived the crash, but died in the following days from injuries.

The subsequent investigation determined that several factors contributed to the accident, including poor training; the incorrect calculation of the take-off speed by the flight crew; and the inadvertent application of wheel braking by one of the pilots, who had improperly placed his feet on the pedals. It was later revealed that the pilot had used falsified documents to obtain permission to fly the aircraft, and that both crew members lacked the training necessary to fly the Yak-42.