Last spring's plane crash in Chisinau occurred because of pilot's error

The plane crash of April 11 near the Chisinau Airport, which claimed 8 lives, was caused by a pilot's mistake. The results of the probe were announced on Sept. 25 at a news conference, Info-Prim Neo reports. The deputy manager of the State Civil Aviation (ASAC) Iurie Zidu says there were a series of factors having lead to the crash. The AN-32 cargo plane took off from the Chisinau airport at 22.02 and was to arrive in Sudan, after a stop in Antaliya. When taking off, the plane disappeared from the radar. The dispatcher asked the crew to return to fix the fault. As the visibility was good, the crew decided to land without guidance from the ground. According to Iurie Zidu, the pilots determined the distance for landing erroneously. The plane was descending too early what led to the collision with a radio transmitter. The probe shows the the crew did not now well the aerodrome's system of lights, said ASAC's investigation bureau chief Igor Chiriliuc. The inquirers don't rule out the crew might have been tired, after their takeoff was postponed. The 4 crew members were flying for the first time together. The fallen aircraft belonged to “Kata Air Trans” from Sudan. It was to take off at 16.00. As two crew members were late, they could take off only at 22.10. The ship was carrying two tonnes of plane oil and 4 technicians. All those 8 people died in the catastrophe, three being Moldovan citizens and 5 Ukrainians. One of the crew members was having his first flight.