You're reading: Pilot error likely behind Russia crash

PARIS, June 21 (Reuters) - Pilot error was the most likely cause of a plane crash that killed at least 44 people in northwestern Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Tuesday.

"From the initial external data the pilot’s mistake is clear — in bad weather conditions he veered to the right of the runway and in foggy conditions searched for the runway visually until the last minute (and) did not find it," Ivanov said in France on a visit with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Ivanov, who oversees Russia’s aviation industry, said the crash during an attempt to land in poor visibility late on Monday resembled the crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski in Russia in April 2010.