Russia's airline regulator said Friday it was grounding regional carrier Tatarstan Airlines after an investigation into a crash that killed 50 people last month revealed some of its pilots and personnel were overworked and inadequately trained.
A Tatarstan Airlines Boeing 737 crashed and exploded at the airport in the Tatarstan region's capital, Kazan, on Nov. 17, killing all 44 passengers — including a son of the oil-producing Russian province's leader — and six crew.
The regulator Rosaviatsia said it would cancel the airline's license from Dec. 31 after inspections revealed "violations in established flight norms, working hours and rest periods for the flight crew, and qualification standards of the crew."
Crash investigators have said the pilot of the ill-fated passenger jet may have received his license from a training center that was later closed on suspicion of operating illegally.
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