Pilots to blame for plane crash, says minister

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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An official probe into the crash found the pilots, "did not follow rules during landing, which led to a collision accident," the minister told a group of journalists, cited by the Anatolia news agency.The MD-83, operated by the budget Atlasjet carrier, was flying from Istanbul to the southwestern city of Isparta when it crashed on Nov. 30 last year in the mountains about 12 kilometers from Isparta airport.

All 50 passengers, including a six-week-old girl and seven crew, were killed. At the time of the accident, officials suggested the aircraft's tail may have struck a hilltop after it veered off course.

Some family members of those who died, are not convinced the crash was only the fault of the pilots and are preparing to object to the report.

Serafettin Tokgöz, who lost his son in the crash, told the Doğan news agency that he believed the report was faulty. The father of one of the victims, Mesut Polat, said, "The report’s findings came as no surprise because they were saying the same thing the day the plane crashed."

Lawyer Hasan Kaşıkara said his clients believed there was more at fault in the crash than just the actions of the pilots. They believe prosecutors will initiate a broader inquiry.While the minister said the report had been sent to the Isparta Prosecutor’s Office, the head of the office, Abdülkadir Şahin, said the report had not arrived. He said the office would undertake the necessary investigations once it received the report and determine whether any charges would be laid.