Pilot error caused fatal 2016 plane crash

MOSCOW: Pilot error led to a fatal plane crash operated by Flydubai in Russia in 2016, the RIA news agency said on Tuesday, citing an investigation by the Moscow-based Interstate Aviation Committee.

The Boeing 737-800, operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, came down in the early hours of March 19, 2016 at Rostov-on-Don airport in southern Russia on its second attempt to land after flying from Dubai, killing all 62 people on board.

The aircraft had to abandon an initial attempt to land at Rostov, its scheduled destination, and came down while making a repeat attempt, according to an emergencies ministry statement.

The plane came down inside the airport’s perimeter, about 250 metres (yards) short of the start of the runway.

Grainy pictures from a security camera pointing towards the airport, which were broadcast on Russian television on the day of the crash, showed a large explosion at ground level, with flames and sparks leaping high into the air.

Most of the passengers on board were Russian, the regional governor had said on television.