Beijing, Sep 6 (IANS) Some 200 Chinese pilots have faked their flying histories with more than half of them working for an airline involved in China's worst plane crash in several years, media reports said Monday.

The results of a government probe in 2008-2009 showed that airlines desperate for staff were hiring pilots whose resumes had been faked, China Daily reported quoting a report by China Business News.

The faking was exposed even as the civil aviation administration probes safety measures nationwide after the Aug 24 plane crash that left 42 people dead and 54 injured in northeast China.

The Brazilian-made Embraer 190 plane, which belonged to Henan Airlines, crashed during landing at Yichun in Heilongjiang province.

The probe reportedly found that 103 pilots with Shenzhen Airlines, which is the parent company of Henan Airlines, had faked their flying histories. A Shenzhen staff said he had no idea about the report.

China's aviation industry has expanded rapidly in recent years and regulators have struggled to keep up. Airports have multiplied as regional airlines are increasingly reaching out to remote cities like Yichun.