Daily Cupcakes- November 3rd, 2011

We've got an update about the horrific plane crash that killed the entire KHL team, it was due to pilot error.

MOSCOW (AP) A Russian pilot inadvertently put the wheel brakes on during takeoff, causing a crash that killed 44 people including a professional ice hockey team, investigators said Wednesday, citing lax oversight and insufficient crew training as key reasons behind the error.

The Interstate Aviation Committee said the Sept. 7 crash of the Yak-42 plane near Yaroslavl in central Russia occurred because one of the two pilots accidentally activated the brakes and then yanked a control wheel to his chest, pulling the plane up too sharply in a desperate attempt to take off.

The crash raised new concerns about Russia's aviation safety and prompted the president to suggest replacing all aging Soviet-era aircraft with Western-made planes.

But industry experts say recent Russian air disasters have been rooted not just in the age of the planes, but in a combination of other factors, including insufficient crew training, crumbling airports, lax government control and widespread neglect of safety in the pursuit of profits.

 

CBC is keeping a weekly tally of the games lost to head injuries vs suspension that was handed out due to hits to the head, keeping track of the individual players and their numbers.

Total - 97 man-games lost to head injuries so far this season.

Total - 40 games $849,439.33

According to Defending Big D , Steve Ott may not be able to play on Friday.

While the man with the goriest injury to hit the Dallas Stars in a while will play in Friday night's game against the Colorado Avalanche, the team might be without one of its top six forwards despite the time off.

Steve Ott missed Tuesday's practice with a hip injury he suffered in a recent loss to the Los Angeles Kings, and even though he was able to fight through it Saturday against the New Jersey Devils, the team might shelve him for a few games to make sure it doesn't become a chronic problem.