Yak Service

Yakovlev Yak-42

The aircraft was chartered by the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team to carry his staff to Minsk to take part to the first game of the Russian 2011-2012 championship. During the takeoff roll from runway 23 at Yaroslavl-Tunoshna Airport, the crew selected flaps down at 20° and the stabilizer in a nose-up position of 8,7°. The aircraft slowly accelerated to 165 km/h due to a residual pressure on the brake pedal. At a speed of 185 km/h and at a distance of 1,350 metres from the runway end, the nose gear lifted off. But the aircraft continued, passed the runway end and rolled for about 400 metres before it took off. Then it collided with various approach lights and the localizer antenna, lost height and eventually crashed on the shore of the Volga River, bursting into flames, 2 minutes after the takeoff roll was initiated. A passenger and the flight engineer were seriously injured while 43 other occupants were killed. Almost a week later, the passenger died from his injuries. Among the passengers were 26 players from the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team, Russian citizens and also Canadian, Czech, Ukrainian, German and Slovak. The Canadian coach Brad McCrimmon, his both assistants, the cameraman, three masseurs, one admin and two doctors were among the victims.