The police commander at Hillsborough has agreed he was "incompetent" and said his "mistakes" and "oversight" caused the deaths of 96 fans.
David Duckenfield said he had done his "best under very trying circumstances and sadly my best was not good enough".
He agreed while he had not been negligent, the jury should judge him by the "standards of an incompetent, inexperienced match commander".
He also told the court he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The former South Yorkshire Police chief superintendant was in charge when a crush developed in terraced pens during a FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium on 15 April 1989.
Questioning Mr Duckenfield at the inquests, Rajiv Menon QC, who is representing 75 victims' families, said the match commander's "negligence caused the disaster and the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans".
"I wouldn't use the word negligence, sir," Mr Duckenfield said.
"What word would you like to use?" Mr Menon asked.
"Mistake. Oversight," he replied.
He said "with hindsight, the mistakes I made were a contributory factor".
Mr Duckenfield also said he "cannot deny" that his failure to give an order to close the tunnel leading to the Leppings Lane terrace's central pens was what Mr Menon called a "blunder of the first magnitude".
Earlier he was asked about his admission on Wednesday that he lied about Liverpool fans forcing a gate open to enter the ground.
He said the reason he did not admit lying about fans' behaviour on the day sooner was possibly because he was "in denial".
He did not know when he realised he had made "such grave mistakes", he said.
He said the inquests were the "first [opportunity] to apologise fully without fear of seeing anybody misrepresenting what I was saying".
'Chaotic, hectic, stressful'Asked if he thought "drunk, ticketless and late fans" contributed to the disaster, he said it was his view that "football fans played a part".
However, he said that in his position in the control box, he had no "first hand evidence" there were drunk and ticketless fans at the stadium.
"I think there's been evidence at this court of fans pushing at the rear of people waiting at the turnstiles," he said.
Later, Mr Menon questioned him about telling FA chief executive Graham Kelly the gate had been "forced" by the fans.
Mr Menon said when it "suits you, you can't remember [but] when you want to assert something, your memory is absolutely fine".
"This is one of the strange realities of post-traumatic stress disorder," Mr Duckenfield replied, drawing gasps from the courtroom.
He said he was "not making excuses" and had "nothing to cover up".
"I've put my hands up and have admitted my failings and I will continue to do so."
He said the situation had been "chaotic, hectic, stressful and I don't expect anybody in this courtroom to understand".
He admitted that by the time he spoke to Mr Kelly, he knew "something horrific was unfolding on the terraces", but said he "never gave another thought" to what he had said.
Mr Menon went on to claim it was the start of a police cover-up and "the beginning of a false narrative about Hillsborough [that] has sadly survived to this day".
Mr Duckenfield said he had "admitted my failings" and could not comment on "where we are with what has been said over the years, because I have shut myself away".
The inquests continue.
Who were the 96 victims?BBC News: Profiles of all those who died
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