MOSCOW — Investigators say the crash of a Russian passenger plane thatkilled all 71 people on board may have been caused by the pilots’ failureto activate heating for pressure measurement equipment, resulting in flawedspeed data.
The Interstate Aviation Committee said Tuesday, after studying the plane’sflight data recorder, that Sunday’s crash occurred after the pilots sawvarying data on the plane’s two air speed indicators.
The flawed indication came because the pilots failed to turn on the heatingunit for the plane’s pressure measurement equipment prior to takeoff.
The pilots put the An-148 on autopilot after taking off from Moscow’sDomodedovo Airport but took manual controls back when they saw clashingspeed data.
The plane plummeted into a snowy field six minutes after takeoff, killingall 65 passengers and six crew. – Agencies