Kazakh plane crash causes revealed

    Mechanical problems, human error and weather factored into the December 25 plane crash that killed 27 people, including 19 members of the Kazakhstani Border Service, Novosti-Kazakhstan reported January 22.
    The autopilot and the altimetre were among the sources of mechanical malfunctions, Nurdaulet Suindikov, spokesman for the general prosecutor's office, told Novosti-Kazakhstan.
    Mixed snow and rain, combined with fog, also contributed to the crash, he said, adding that the pilots mentioned icing-over of the plane in their conversation recorded by the plane's black box.
    Regarding human error, Suindikov said the flight crew failed to turn on the early warning system that goes off if a plane is getting too close to the ground and that the pilot "improperly" handed over control of the aircraft to the co-pilot.
    The plane, an AN-72, was flying from Astana to Skymkent December 25, when it crashed some 20km from its destination. The plane was carrying seven crew members, acting Border Service commander Turganbek Stambekov, his wife, and 18 other Border Service personnel, Central Asia Online wrote.