'Crew error' killed Macedonia president

Errors by the flight crew caused the crash that killed Macedonia’s president Boris Trajkovski and eight of his associates two months ago, officials announced today.

“The immediate causes … were procedural mistakes of the crew in regard to location and height while approaching Mostar airport,” said Branko Dokic, Bosnia’s transport minister.

A 75-page report produced by Bosnian, Macedonian, US and Nato investigators said the aircraft was functioning perfectly but the crew – it did not single out a specific crew member – miscalculated key flight data in stormy weather.

According to the report, the crew lowered the plane and embarked on its final approach curve to the airport too soon in relation to the distance to the runway.

At another point the plane lost the beacon signal from the airport for 18 seconds – which normally should lead to an aborted approach. But the crew decided to go on and try to land anyway.

The plane crashed against a hill 4.5 nautical miles south of the Mostar airport, killing all nine people aboard.

Trajkovski, 47, was en route to an international investment conference in Bosnia when the twin-engine turboprop plane crashed on February 26 in heavy fog near Mostar.

Elected in 1999, Trajkovski was Macedonia’s second head of state since the former Yugoslav republic gained independence in 1991.