Mark Rachůnek, Václav Vašíček & Karel Demitra: 14 Years Remembered

It was Wednesday afternoon, September 7, 2011, when the three -engine jakovlev was starting at the Airport Tunoshna near Jaroslavl. On board was a complete team of the locomotive Jaroslavl, the implementation team and the crew and everyone was heading for Minsk at the first match of the new KHL season. But the take -off failed. The machine was unable to peel off in time, after crossing the grassy foreground, it crashed into the antenna system and in the right tilt it fell to the ground. A fire and destruction of the torso followed. Of the 45 people, two passengers, Alexander Galimov and mechanic Alexander Sizov survived. Galimov 12. September died as a result of heavy burns.

All players of the locomotive, including the Slovak representative Pavol Demitra, were on board. President IIHF René Fasel said then:
“This disaster represents the darkest day in the history of our sport.”

The aircraft started from the 23 track and was still about 2,700 meters used. It speeded up to approximately 165 kilometers per hour, then the acceleration slowed down. The crew began to lift the aircraft at about 185 kilometers per hour, which was the value set wrong, it was supposed to be about 210 kilometers per hour. When the machine did not respond to the pulling, the captain only ordered full take -off power. Even so, the aircraft was starting only slowly and got a maximum of approximately 230 kilometers per hour. Investigators explained this by the braking force created by the unconscious branch of the second pilot. The crew thought it had already exceeded the speed of V1, a boundary to which it was possible to safely interrupt the take -off and continued. The machine ran over the end of the track and drove about 450 meters on the grass, where the crew tried to help adjust the stabilizer settings. Although the aircraft peeled off, it caught the antennas of the zoom system and container at the track. The angle of starting increased sharply in about two seconds, followed by loss of buoyancy and falling from a maximum height of about five meters. The impact at about 250 kilometers per hour broke the aircraft and caused a fire.

According to eyewitnesses, some of the debris fell into the Volga River. They were the first to arrive at the place of fishermen who stood on the shore, and some of them were hit by fragments and pressure waves. The first rescue cars arrived after about half an hour. One of the witnesses described what he saw:
“We pulled people out of the water, two we loaded into the boat, shouting one terribly. Everything was burning, airport buildings, forest. On the shore they pulled four bodies in white T -shirts, and then I realized it was our locomotive.”

Vladimir Vůjtek junior, a former hockey striker, attached personal memory and pain of the message:
“I don’t know exactly what happened, it’s terrible. On Tuesday I talked to Pepa Vašíček for half an hour, the boys were looking forward to KHL.

The weather was sunny. Some Russian stations brought different descriptions in the first minutes, such as fire information at the start and falling from a height of about five hundred meters. This initial information later proved to be inaccurate, which refuted the official investigation report. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who was then in Jaroslavl, called on the forum participants for a minute of silence and sent Deputy Presidential Administration Vladislav Surkov to the place of the accident.

It was both 42D with RA 42434 registration in salon modification. The aircraft was flying approximately 6,500 hours, with the allowed limit to 12,000 hours, and the total design life of the type is 40,000 hours, 18,000 cycles and 35 years. The machine produced in 1993 was replaced by several operators and at the time of the accident belonged to Yak Service. The company had previously had security problems. In 2009, she was suspended for four months, and in 2010 she lost permission for type than 40 to European Union countries. After the Jaroslav accident, Yak Service lost the carrier license.

The investigation was led by the international Air Committee MAK with the participation of experts from the countries in question. The representative of the ÚZPLN also briefly participated in the Czech Republic. The black cabinets were picked up the next day, the fuel samples were matching standards, the engines worked until the collision and the flaps were in the correct position for take -off.

The conclusion was unambiguous, it was a failure of the crew and insufficient training for the type of than 42. Inappropriate habits from a different type were transferred, V1 and VR speeds were incorrectly calculated, and there were also bad choices in critical seconds. There was also serious findings about the health condition of the second pilot, in his tissues were found remnants of phenobarbital, substances incompatible with the pilot’s profession. Simulations and trial flights on the same type of aircraft than 42D at Ramenskoje airport took place to verify the course. The conclusions were based on experiments and records of recorders. Investigators also described organizational failures at Yak Service, the management lacked qualified experts, training standards were neglected and the prescribed procedures were violated.

Marek grew up in Třinec and entered a wider awareness in Sparta, where he helped in 2006 to the title. After the transfer to Magnitogorsk, he ranked among the most productive attackers of the competition. His peace of mind at the crucial moments has fully showed at the 2010 World Cup in Germany. In a duel with Finland and Sweden, he changed the decisive raids and the Czech team came to sensational gold. In the summer of 2011 his son was born. According to the attached sources, he had a respect from flying, which his loved ones knew. He was one of the most prominent faces of the generation that brought the Czech Republic the joy of 2010.

Zlín offspring, defender with the reputation of the heart. He joined Ottawa, Rangers and New Jersey in the NHL and was one of the support of Jaroslavl in Russia, with whom he won the title in the 2005 to 2006 season. At the 2010 World Championship, he entered the memory goal in the semi -final with Sweden seven and a half seconds before the end of the third period. A year later, at the Championship in Bratislava, he also captivated a hard clash with the Yevgeny Arťuchin, after which the plexiglass burst. It was a reaction to Russian interventions from the previous match. Before the season 2011 to 2012, he considered returning to Sparta to play with his brothers, and eventually decided to stay in Jaroslavl. His wife and two little daughters were waiting for him at home.

Middle striker, World Champion 2005 and Stanley Cup winner 2006 with Carolina Hurricanes. In the final in Vienna 2005, he seated the win to the empty goal. Czech fans also remember his participation in the 2004 World Cup and included in the Olympic team in Vancouver 2010. After working in the NHL, he headed to KHL and became a support for Jaroslavl. He also talked about health problems with his back and considerations of the end of his career:
“I am already destroyed from all this, for example, my back pain is troubled.”
Yet it was productive and valid. Four days after the tragedy he would celebrate the one -party birthday.

The face of Slovak hockey. He played many seasons in the NHL and became a respected European league personality. At home he was perceived as a leader and elegance. He wanted to use the year 2011 for the last season in KHL and then devote himself to young people in Trenčín. For Slovak hockey meant more than mere numbers, it was a symbol of professionalism and quiet leadership. In his honor was In the Slovak national team forever discarded number 38. The death of Pavol Demitra hit Slovakia very deep.

On the day of the tragedy, the KHL match between Ufa and Mytišči was played. In the fourteenth minute the first period arrived on the accident and the players decided not to continue. The KHL program was interrupted and the beginning of the competition was moved to 12 September 2011. The Czech Extraliga postponed the start from 16 to 18 September due to the funeral of Jan Marek.

Dynamo Minsk, with which the locomotive was supposed to start the next day, prepared a funeral ceremony. They put portraits of the deceased on the ice and fell symbolic own goals, for each of them one.

The main funeral ceremony took place on Saturday, September 10 in the Jaroslavl hall. Photographs of victims were exhibited on the ice and at seven players and seven members of the implementation team and coffins. Approximately one hundred thousand people arrived, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, IIHF President René Fasel, Russian hockey president Vladislav Treťjak and many other personalities.

The bodies of the three Czech representatives were transported to the homeland by an army special on Saturday night. A day later, September 11, Prague gathered on the Old Town Square. The commemorative memory was moderated by Robert Záruba, the short speech was made by the chairman of the Czechoslovakia Tomáš Král and at the end Archbishop Dominik Duka spoke. Followed by a memorial mass in the Tyn Temple. Thousands of fans and personalities of Czech hockey, including Jaromír Jágr, Patrik Eliáš and Dominik Hašek arrived.

The Czech Ice Hockey Association excluded from the national team the number 4 Karel Rachůnek, number 15 Jan Mark and number 63 Josef Vašíček. In the 2011 to 2012 season she wore representations on patch jerseys with their numbers, heart and stick.

The Jaroslavl locomotive lost the whole team. Several solutions were considered to restore the team, such as extraordinary draft, help from other KHL clubs or composition from juniors playing in MHL. In the end, the club decided not to play the year 2011 to 2012.

This is not the first case that aerial disaster hit sport. In 1948, members of the Czechoslovak hockey team died. A year later, AC Turin tragedy came. In 1958, Manchester United hit the crash. In 1961, the American figure skating representation died. In 1972, the Old Christians of Uruguay fought in the mountains and many of its members did not survive. In 1993, members of the Zambia football team died in an air accident.

The story of Jaroslavl is not just a few minutes on the runway. It is about families, children, partners, cities that have become silent, and teammates who lost their friends. In Czech memory, the image of three men in national colors remains that brought joy and medals. In Slovakia, the name Pavolo Demitra is pronounced with permanent respect.