Pilots blamed for air show tragedy

Pilot error appears likely cause of the Ukrainian air show disaster after investigators today ruled out aircraft failure.

A Su-27 fighter crashed into spectators, killing 83, during a display. Both pilots parachuted to safety.

The chief of the Security and Defence Council, Yevhen Marchuk, said experts had ruled out failure of the engines or control equipment, as well as the possibility that birds had flown into the engine.

"Most probably, they (the pilots) made a mistake and deviated from the flight’s trajectory," he said.

Viktor Strelnykov, who was sacked as Air Force commander and arrested after Saturday’s crash, told a court in Lviv today that the disaster was caused by pilot error.

However, Marchuk warned against drawing “hasty conclusions about who is guilty.”

“We can definitely say that there are several reasons, and we can affirm that the tragedy could have been averted,” he added.

Marchuk criticised the organisation of the Lviv air show that let planes fly straight over spectator’s heads.