Russia, CIS highest number of air fatalities in 2006 -report

05/06/2007 16:20 MOSCOW, June 5 (RIA Novosti) - Passenger plane accidents in Russia and other CIS countries last year resulted in 412 deaths or 56% of the total number of people killed in air crashes globally, an aviation expert said Tuesday.

A report from the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), a civil aviation body of the group of 11 former Soviet republics, states that Russia's air safety record in 2006 dramatically declined. In May through August 2006, 409 people were killed in IAC countries, which is about 45% of all the aviation deaths for 2000-2006.

"This is worse than Africa or the rest of the world," said Vladimir Kofman, a leading specialist on the investigation of air accidents at the IAC.

In 2006, nine aviation catastrophes and incidents occurred in IAC countries, compared with 23 accidents and incidents worldwide with a total death toll of 783, according to the report.

Kofman said human error was a leading factor in the worsening air safety record, followed by an aging fleet, poor personnel training standards, insufficient maintenance and servicing, the use of substandard parts and components, the poor condition of runways, and inadequate meteorological support.

On May 3, 2006, an Armenian Airbus crashed into the Black Sea during a storm killing 113 people.

On July 9, an A-310 plane, owned by Siberia-based S-7 Airlines, crashed after landing in Irkutsk leaving 124 people dead, while on a flight from Moscow to Irkutsk, a popular tourist destination close to Lake Baikal.

A total of 170 people died when a Tu-154, operated by Pulkovo Airlines, crashed during poor weather August 22, near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on a flight from the Russian Black Sea resort of Anapa to St. Petersburg.

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