A Russian Sukhoi Superjet airliner that crashed in Indonesia last month might have gone down because of a dangerous maneuver performed by the pilot, a Moscow newspaper reported on Thursday, citing a source close to the investigation.
The plane was on a short demonstration flight for potential buyers when it slammed into Mount Salak near Jakarta on May 9. All 45 people on board - mostly Indonesian airline representatives - were killed.
Data from the flight recorder suggested the plane's navigator had alerted pilot Alexander Yablonstev to an approaching mountainside, but he carried on regardless, the source told the Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid.
Yablontsev also appeared to ignore the jet's Terrain Warning and Awareness System, the source said.
Indonesian and Russian officials said last month the aircraft experienced no technical problems up until impact, but insisted it was still premature to say if pilot error caused the crash.