Updated 7:04 p.m. Moscow time
MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - France will not insist on holding its own investigation into the Total CEO plane crash in Vnukovo, its experts will leave Moscow Friday, a member of the French expert team told RIA Novosti Thursday.
“France will not hold an additional investigation into the plane crash. There will be an investigation devoted to absolutely different matters,” said Francois Hochart, a representative of the Dassault air disaster investigation bureau.
Hochart added that France has no questions concerning the work of Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK). “We have been cooperating for more than 30 years,” he noted.
“We totally agree with MAK conclusions. We are leaving tomorrow. France will not send new experts. MAK experts work at the same level as we do. We came to share our experience – unfortunately, we have plenty of it – and our help was needed because the pilots were speaking French,” Hochart told RIA Novosti.
A Falcon 50 business jet departing for Paris crashed late Monday night at Moscow's Vnukovo-3 Airport after hitting a snowplow during takeoff. None of the four people on board, including Total CEO Christophe de Margerie and three crew members, survived the crash.
Russia's Investigative Committee is considering two main possibilities as to the cause of the crash – a traffic control mistake and the actions of the snowplow driver.
Following the tragedy the general director of Moscow's Vnukovo Airport and his deputy have resigned. Several other airport managerial employees were also dismissed. Four Vnukovo Airport employees have been arrested as suspects in connection with the crash. The investigators suspect that they did not observe flight security requirements and failed to conduct ground checks, which later led to the tragedy
The French Prosecutor's Office has also opened a manslaughter inquiry into the death of de Margerie.
