MOSCOW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) - Svetlana Krivsun, the air traffic controller on duty on the night of the crash involving Total CEO Christophe de Margerie, has had formal charges level against her for violating safety rules, Russia’s Investigative Committee’s website has said.
Krivsun, currently under house arrest, has been charged with Article 263 of the Russian Criminal Code for violating aircraft safety rules, which specifically address events resulting in the accidental deaths of two or more persons.
Krivsun is suspected of having given the order for Margerie’s private jet to take off before the snowplow had cleared a safe distance, and will now “be questioned as an accused person,” Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said in a press conference.
Margerie’s Falcon aircraft crashed into the snowplow on takeoff and exploded, killing Margerie and the plane’s three crew members. De Margerie was heading back to Paris after reportedly holding talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev.
The Investigative Committee had earlier detained flight operations officer Roman Dunayev, chief airfield service engineer Vladimir Ledenev, air traffic controller Alexander Kruglov, and snowplow driver Vladimir Martynenko.
Dunayev and Krivsun have been placed under house arrest until December 21, while Kruglov, Ledenev and Martynenko will be held in custody until that date as the criminal investigation continues.
Each of the five are suspected of "failing to ensure the observance of flight and ground work safety requirements, which led to the tragedy," in Markin’s words.
Krivsun faces up to seven years in prison if found guilty.
Vnukovo’s General Director Andrei Dyakov and his deputy Sergei Solntsev have each resigned over the tragedy. They have not been suspected of any wrongdoing.
De Margerie was buried at a funeral service held in Paris on Monday, with the Russian President earlier paying tribute to the businessman, calling him a “true friend of the country,” whose “legacy will remain with us.”