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Yak-42 military air crash 'could have been prevented', says damning report
04/01/2017
A REPORT claiming the Yak-42 military air crash which killed all the Spanish soldiers on board could have been prevented has been released, and the government's opposition has called for the then minister of defence to be fired.
Federico Trillo was in charge of defence when the aircraft went down in Turkey on May 26, 2003, and is now Spanish ambassador in London.
The latest report claims Trillo's ministry knew about the Yak-42's safety risks before the 62 soldiers returning from Afghanistan boarded the aircraft.
“Circumstances that would have led to the adoption of preventive measures by the relevant authorities could have been warned of in advance,” the damning paper from the Permanent Council of State Commission reads.
If the defence ministry had 'listened to complaints' about the precarious conditions of both military aircraft and their crew, the crash might have been avoided, according to the latest verdict.
Pilots on board the Yak-42 had been at the controls for 22 hours and had not been trained.
With the pilots already disoriented and their judgment impaired, their lack of instruction in how to deal with such situations meant the craft crashed into the Pilav mountain near the airport of Trebisonda, in Turkey.
At the time, the State tried to place the blame on the crew, claiming they had broken the rules.
It took 11 years for grieving families of the 62 soldiers to receive their compensation, but a National Court archived the case and found there was no criminal liability on the part of the State.
Although conditions for military air crew were subcontracted, the ministry is ultimately responsible for not ensuring the firm in question had complied with all safety measures, meaning the State is civilly liable.
The Yak-42 tragedy was the worst Armed Forces incident during peacetime in Spain's history.
As well as the government's opposition calling for Trillo to be removed from his post, the public have echoed this and a petition has started on Change.org.
The opposition also calls for current defence minister María Dolores de Cospedal to speak out in Parliament and answer questions.
Cospedal has suggested a meeting with the victims' relatives.
Meanwhile, the government says Trillo will be replaced shortly 'because it is time'.
Around 70 ambassadors are due to move on, since diplomats are only in a given post for a set number of years.
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A REPORT claiming the Yak-42 military air crash which killed all the Spanish soldiers on board could have been prevented has been released, and the government's opposition has called for the then minister of defence to be fired.
Federico Trillo was in charge of defence when the aircraft went down in Turkey on May 26, 2003, and is now Spanish ambassador in London.
The latest report claims Trillo's ministry knew about the Yak-42's safety risks before the 62 soldiers returning from Afghanistan boarded the aircraft.
“Circumstances that would have led to the adoption of preventive measures by the relevant authorities could have been warned of in advance,” the damning paper from the Permanent Council of State Commission reads.
If the defence ministry had 'listened to complaints' about the precarious conditions of both military aircraft and their crew, the crash might have been avoided, according to the latest verdict.
Pilots on board the Yak-42 had been at the controls for 22 hours and had not been trained.
With the pilots already disoriented and their judgment impaired, their lack of instruction in how to deal with such situations meant the craft crashed into the Pilav mountain near the airport of Trebisonda, in Turkey.
At the time, the State tried to place the blame on the crew, claiming they had broken the rules.
It took 11 years for grieving families of the 62 soldiers to receive their compensation, but a National Court archived the case and found there was no criminal liability on the part of the State.
Although conditions for military air crew were subcontracted, the ministry is ultimately responsible for not ensuring the firm in question had complied with all safety measures, meaning the State is civilly liable.
The Yak-42 tragedy was the worst Armed Forces incident during peacetime in Spain's history.
As well as the government's opposition calling for Trillo to be removed from his post, the public have echoed this and a petition has started on Change.org.
The opposition also calls for current defence minister María Dolores de Cospedal to speak out in Parliament and answer questions.
Cospedal has suggested a meeting with the victims' relatives.
Meanwhile, the government says Trillo will be replaced shortly 'because it is time'.
Around 70 ambassadors are due to move on, since diplomats are only in a given post for a set number of years.
Related Topics
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