The only survivor in the Yak-42 plane crash near Yaroslavl, which killed virtually the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional hockey team, said the flight went wrong from the very beginning.
The troubles began when the plane accelerated for takeoff.
"Passengers started to worry almost immediately why we were not taking off. Shortly after I understood that the plane would run off the runway. When we took off it was clear that the plane was rolling and we would soon crash," crew member Alexander Sizov said.
The 52-year-old aircraft engineer said he was in the cabin during takeoff and his safety belt was not fastened.
"Everything flew on impact, I was hit hard by something, the right side of my body is all broken. I found myself in water, I didn't notice anything around me. I didn't notice the plane wreckage, I didn't notice the fire, I saw nothing," he said.
"I survived by a miracle," Sizov said, adding that he has no plans to quit aviation.
