Pilots lacked proper instructions before Ukrainian air show

KIEV, Ukraine -- Air force commanders failed to give adequate instruction to the pilots of a Ukrainian fighter jet that crashed during an air show in June, killing 85 spectators, the head of the investigation into the crash said Tuesday.

Chief investigator Yevhen Marchuk last week blamed the pilots for the June 27 crash, saying they broke from their flight plan and tried a risky new maneuver. But Marchuk since has elaborated and said others share the blame for the world's worst air show disaster.

On Tuesday, he pointed to the pilots' flight commanders and the air show's organizers, who he said did not conduct a rehearsal of the event. "The pilots were not properly instructed on their task," said Marchuk, head of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council.

Marchuk said the two pilots had trained for three days before the show, but didn't see where they would perform until they arrived in the western city of Lviv on the day of the show.

He also said that commanders failed to call off the performance after the pilots deviated from the flight plan on their first pass, flying too close to the public.

Releasing the preliminary results of its investigations, Marchuk's commission said that pilot error and officials' failure to prepare for, plan and execute the show safely were the main causes of the crash, which also injured 156.

Marchuk rejected pilot Volodymyr Toponar's claim that technical failures caused him to lose control of the Su-27 jet seconds before the crash. "All of the plane's systems worked properly until it hit the ground," he said.

The commission recommended restructuring Ukraine's armed forces and speeding up military reforms. President Leonid Kuchma has already adopted Marchuk's proposal to increase funding of the cash-strapped armed forces and instructed his Cabinet to submit to parliament draft laws strengthening flight regulations.

After the crash, Kuchma banned war planes from participating in air shows and sacked the top air force commanders, who have since been charged with criminal negligence.

Kuchma ordered Marchuk to deliver a final report with final results of the investigation by Sept. 15.

Meanwhile, in the first of what promises to be a series of lawsuits against the government, the father of a 24-year-old man killed in the accident sued the Ministries of Defense and Health and regional officials, news reports said. He seeks $66,000 in damages.