Experts investigating the crash of a fighter jet at an air show in the Ukraine at the weekend have ruled out technical flaws as a cause of the accident.
The Su-27 jet crashed into the crowd at Lviv's Sknyliv air field on Saturday, killing 83 and injuring 116.
The chief of the Security and Defence Council, Mr Yevhen Marchuk, told the Dennewspaper that experts had ruled out failure of the engines or control equipment, as well as the possibility that birds had flown into the engine.
"Most probably, the pilots made a mistake and deviated from the flight's trajectory," the newspaper quoted Mr Marchuk as saying. "We can definitely say that there are several reasons for the crash, and we can affirm that the tragedy could have been averted."
Mr Viktor Strelnykov, who was dismissed as Air Force commander and detained after the crash, told a court in Lviv today that the disaster was caused by pilot error.
Mr Marchuk criticized the organisation of the air show in the western city of Lviv that let planes fly straight over spectator's heads.
Nearly 70 people injured in the accident are still in hospital, including 12 in serious condition. Nine bodies remained unidentified.
The pilots, who suffered back injuries, are to be questioned as soon as they leave the intensive care unit at a military hospital. They ejected two seconds before the plane hit the ground.
AP