Pilot error blamed for Turkish death crash

Pilot error caused a Turkish plane crash that killed all 57 people on board last month, it emerged today.

Initial investigations showed the pilot became disoriented while preparing to land at Isparta in south-west Turkey, but further investigation was needed, officials said.

The Atlasjet MD-83 was flying from Istanbul to Isparta when it crashed on November 30, killing 50 passengers and seven crew members.

The plane was off its flight path when it crashed. The wreckage was found seven miles from the airport, on a 5,000ft mountain.

Officials had said there was no indication of sabotage in the disaster, which occurred in good weather minutes before the plane was due to land.

Atlasjet, a private airline established in 2001, operates regular flights inside Turkey and chartered flights to Europe and other foreign destinations.