My original admittedly very rude post about the growing number of Russian air accidents now becoming attributed to pilot error in its various forms was actually about CRM.
In this case (and in AF447) it appears that the combined resources of numerous brains end up reaching the same wrong conclusions leading to CFIT on perfectly functioning aircraft.
Why not just ONE that works on a hunch that something is not logical and work on the basis of counter intuition?
Eg. Question what the rest of the crew is doing?
It does appear from the various hints, panic took over and CRM once again "went to pot". It was the same in AF447.
Does it take a flash of genius to do the right thing (which we now take for being genius or hero status) when we get a Sullenberger or Alrosa pilot who can fly a plane which actually has a major failure and not kill everyone?
What is it about Russia that causes this rash of fatal accidents down to various kinds of illusions/spacial disorientation or clear CRM failures.
This is the "human element" which is supposed to save lives, understand when sensors or instruments are faulty and fly a plane not do like the growing list like Kazan, Sochi to name but 2.
Training?