The year is not over yet, but 1994 has already made history as the deadliest period in Russian civil aviation, Interfax reported. In the first 10 months of the year, 46 accidents killed 248 passengers and 52 crew members, according to a study performed by the Transport Ministry's Department of Air Transport and the Interstate Aviation Committee. There were more accidents in the same period last year, but fewer deaths, Interfax said.


The principal causes of accidents are overloading or improperly loaded cargo, which upsets the plane's center of gravity, the agency said. Adverse weather conditions and economizing on fuel have also contributed to the high rate of fatalities this year. Overloading was suspected in two separate crashes last weekend, and Interfax reported that an An-30 plane crashed in Yakutia earlier this year because the crew couldn't afford to land at an emergency airfield.