Today, a Yakovlev 42D (RA-42433) crashed shortly after take-off into the Volga River near Yaroslavl, Russia. The flight was bound from Yaroslavl (IAR/UUDL), Russia to Minsk (MHP/UMMM), Belarus. According to various sources 43 people on board have been killed, 2 survived badly injured. The airplane carried the Russian Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team including members of the German, Czech Republic, Swedish, Slovakian, Latvian, Russian and Ukrainian national ice hockey teams and several ex-NHL players.
Russian media is reporting that the plane struck a tower mast at Yaroslavl Airport. The plane then rolled to the right, crashed and burst into flames.
Video (Russia Today)
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey players on board:
- Vitaly Anikeyenko – formely played for Ottawa Senators
- Mikhail Balandin
- Gennady Churilov
- Pavol Demitra – Slovakian national team, formerly played for Ottawa Senators, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks
- Robert Dietrich – German national team, formerly played for Milwaukee Admirals
- Alexander Galimov
- Marat Kalimulin
- Alexander Kalyanin
- Andrei Kiryukhin
- Nikita Klyukin
- Stefan Liv – Swedish national team, formerly played for Grand Rapids Griffins, Toledo Storm
- Jan Marek – Czech national team
- Sergei Ostapchuk
- Karel Rachůnek Czech national team, formerly played for Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils
- Maxim Shuvalov
- Kārlis Skrastiņš – Latvian national team, formerly played for Nashville Predators, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars
- Pavel Snurnitsyn
- Daniil Sobchenko – formerly played for San Jose Sharks
- Ivan Tkachenko – formerly played for Columbus Blue Jackets
- Pavel Trakhanov
- Yuri Urychev
- Josef Vašíček – formerly played for Carolina Hurricanes, Cincinnati Cyclones, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders
- Alexander Vasyunov – Russian national team
- Alexander Vyukhin – Ukrainian national team
- Artem Yarchuk