What happened
On the date of the accident, an aircraft chartered to transport the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team to Minsk for the start of the Russian 2011-2012 championship was performing a takeoff roll from runway 23 at Yaroslavl-Tunoshna Airport. During the initial phase of the takeoff, the crew configured the aircraft with 20° flaps and a stabilizer position of 8.7° nose-up. As the aircraft accelerated, it reached 165 km/h, but the rate of acceleration was hindered by residual pressure being applied to the brake pedal.
The nose gear lifted off when the aircraft reached a speed of 185 km/h, approximately 1,350 metres from the end of the runway. However, the aircraft failed to clear the runway threshold, continuing to roll for roughly 400 metres beyond the runway end before successfully lifting off. During the subsequent climb, the aircraft struck several approach lights and a localizer antenna. This impact caused a loss of altitude, leading to a crash on the banks of the Volga River. The impact was followed by a post-crash fire. The accident occurred approximately two minutes after the takeoff roll began.
The accident resulted in 44 fatalities and 2 serious injuries. Among the deceased were numerous members of the hockey team, including players and coaching staff. One passenger survived the initial impact but later succumbed to their injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the sequence of events identified that residual pressure on the brake pedal prevented the aircraft from accelerating at the necessary rate during the takeoff roll, causing the aircraft to overshoot the runway end before achieving flight.