Su-27s collided, 1 dead.

[Stitchbitch]

Two Russian fighter jets have collided while training for an air show near Moscow, killing one pilot and injuring at least five people on the ground.

Link:BBC NEWS | Europe | Pilot dies as Russia jets collide (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8204072.stm)

My sympathy to the family involved.

[Agaricus bisporus]

Pilot dies as Russia jets collide


My sympathy goes to those involved in the England(sic) language.

BBC hang your head in SHAME.

(inappropriarely mawkish) RIP

:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[The B Word]

Мои симпатии к российскому familes от пилотов и экипажа самолета Королевских Воздушных сил.

Translates to:

My sympathies to the Russian familes from the pilots and aircrew of the Royal Air Force.

[MightyGem]

They do seem to have a habit of doing this. :(

[RIX BT]

Fighter jets collide ahead of Moscow aviation show

16 August, 2009
Two Su-27 fighter jets of the “Russian Knights” aerobatics team have crashed during a final rehearsal ahead of the MAKS 2009 Air Show in the Moscow region. The squadron leader died in the collision.
A single-seat fighter jet SU-27 and a two-seater Su-27UB combat trainer were performing a flight in preparation for MAKS 2009 –Russia’s biggest aviation show – in the town of Zhukovsky.
[/URL]
When the two planes collided, the pilots ejected themselves from each of the aircraft. But Igor Tkachenko, the commander of the “Russian Knights”, was killed during the accident. ITAR TASS reports his body, parachute and ejection seat have been found near the village of Zakharikha.
The other two pilots have been found alive, with one of them reported to have suffered a spinal fracture.

“There was an orange flash during the collision, then black smoke,” one of the crash witnesses said. “When the smoke cleared, we saw one of the planes spinning down outside the field. We all held our breaths because we couldn’t quite tell what was happening to the pilots, if they were alive or not. We couldn’t see any parachutes,” he said.
Initial reports on other casualties and damage caused by the accident were conflicting.
The press service of the regional centre of the Emergencies Ministry told ITAR TASS that four residents of the village where aircraft wreckage fell have been taken to hospital. Four buildings have been damaged – including two destroyed by fire – as a result of the SU-27 crash.
http://www.pprune.org/s/obj/2009-08-16/crash2.jpgRussian Federation, Moscow: Russian authorities look over the charred remains of a house destroyed by falling debris from the collision of two Russian Su-27 fighter jets (AFP Photo / Dmitry Kostyukov)“In total, five people including one woman were injured and three men and the woman have been hospitalized. Another man refused hospitalization,” a source told the agency.

Earlier Interfax, citing a source in a local law enforcement agency, reported that a man might be trapped under the wreckage of one of the houses. However, it has been determined that, in fact, no one has been discovered underneath the debris.
The collision took place around five kilometers away from Zhukovsky air field. Prosecutors from the Moscow Military District have launched a probe into the crash of the fighters.
A pilot error during the performance of an aerobatic stunt is cited by a Defense Ministry spokesman as a possible cause of the crash. Another, less likely, version is that a bird flew into one of the planes’ engines.

Both flight recorders have already been found and will be examined by Defense Ministry specialists.
SU-27

The Su-27 (NATO designation Flanker) is a highly maneuverable front-line fighter aircraft designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Equipped with an analog fly-by-wire control system, the Su-27 is also able to carry up to ten air-to-air missiles. The Su-27UB is a two-seat training version of the Su-27.

It’s possible that Tkachenko was trying to steer his plane away from the residential area and therefore postponed ejecting from the aircraft, test pilot Anatoly Kvochur told Russian Vesti TV channel.

“Most likely, he was not high enough to eject,” he said. Kvochur added that when the height is low and the plane is spinning, the likelihood of an unsuccessful ejection increases. The pilot also suggested that Tkachenko might have hoped to land and save his aircraft. Also, Kvochur didn’t exclude that the general wear on fighter jets could have played an indirect role in the crash.
"The Air Force has not received new aircraft …… for a long time," he said.
MAKS

MAKS – the International Aviation and Space Salon – is an International Air Show held near Moscow on Zhukovsky air field every two years. Russia's biggest exhibition for the aerospace industry, it is an important business event. The show also attracts thousands of aviation enthusiasts for the spectacular air show, with the best Russian and foreign aerobatic teams performing.

There will be no more flights at the air field on Sunday, Vladimir Borisov, head of the aviation show, told Ria Novosti. He also said that the start of the event, scheduled for August 18, will not be postponed. However, it is possible that the “Russian Knights” team will not be excluded from participation in the show, according to a Russian Air Force official. He said that the planes could be replaced by additional aircraft, and there are also pilots who can take part in the event in case the pilots who ejected are temporarily unable to. The final decision will be taken by the head of the Air Force.
Born in 1964, Igor Tkachenko was the commander of the “Russian Knights” (“Russkiye vityazi”), which is the most famous of all Russian aerobatic teams. He had worked in aerobatics since 1989. The time he spent in flights is more than 2,300 hours. Tkachenko piloted such planes as L-29, MiG-21, MiG-29, SU-27, SU-35, as well as non-Russian made MiraGE-2000 and F-16.
He was married and had a son and a daughter.
Responding to news of Tkachenko’s tragic death, President Dmitry Medvedev offered his condolences to the family of the pilot.
Russian Knights “always eager to fly”

The Russian Knights aerobatic team was created on April, 5 1991 and is manned by the best pilots of the Kubinka Air Force base, who have fully mastered the piloting of the 4th generation Su-27 fighter.
http://www.pprune.org/s/obj/2009-08-16/tka4enko.5.jpg
Igor Tkachenko (Photo from knights.ru)Just several days before his tragic death, Igor Tkachenko spoke to RT about the aerobatics team he was commanding and certainly very proud of.
“We select pilots for our two groups – “The Swifts” and the “Russian Knights” – from among ordinary pilots, based on both their airmanship and their psychological characteristics,” he said.
“Also,” he went on, “our squadron is unique in that unlike other aerobatic groups in Europe or, say, in the US. In addition to aerobatic training, we have regular training as well”.
“Our squadron is permanently ready for combat. In fact I believe it’d be good for every fighter pilot to go through the same training course as we have for our pilots here in Kubinka [Air Force base]," he said.
“One thing that our pilots share in common is that they are always eager to fly, they are willing to train day and night as much as they can,” Tkachenko added.
Black Sunday in Russian skies


http://www.pprune.org/s/obj/2009-08-16/fedorenko.jpg
Svetlana Fedorenko (image from [url]www.maks2007.com)Two (http://www.pprune.org/?fullstory) people have been killed in another plane accident on Sunday in the Kaluga Region, southwest of Moscow.

A Yak-52 light-engine trainer aircraft crashed during a training flight, killing a student – Anton Khachkovsky, a cadet from the Ulyanovsk Aviation Institute – and Svetlana Fedorenko, his instructor. The 37-year-old Fedorenko was a European Champion in aerobatics.
Anton is reportedly the son of Dmitry Khachkovsky, a former “Russian Knights” pilot.

The Yakovlev Yak-52 crashed shortly after takeoff. Officials said there were no casualties or damage on the ground.

A rescue team, along with police, are working at the scene of the crash. Also, a criminal case has been launched to investigate the cause of the accident.

Permalink: Fighter jets collide ahead of Moscow aviation show | Top Stories | RT (http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-08-16/fighter-jets-collide-maks.html/print)

[Sir Vaylance Radar]

MightyGem
As you give your location as Woodvale, you might remember how upset the scousers were about the comments in the Sun newspaper after the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. IMHO the Russians would probably feel the same about your comment & rightly so ! :mad:

[GreenKnight121]

Have read elsewhere that Svetlana Fedorenko was the wife of Dmitry Khachkovsky.

Thus the Black Knights have lost their leader and the wife & son of a former member.

[Background Noise]

Re-post. Add it to this: http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/385392-su-27s-collided-1-dead.html

[Lima Juliet]

Sir Vaylance

Well said, Sir. If he really is from Woodvale and working for BAeS then having just read the latest Air Force Monthly I could say to him "They do seem to have a habit of doing this"...

MANTIS MISSES FIRST FLIGHT TARGET

Two target dates selected for BAeS for the first flight of its Mantis med-alt, long-endurance UAV demonstrator have now been missed...

...BAe officials are reluctant to speculate on when the first flight will take place.

:ok:

[SirToppamHat]

They do seem to have a habit of doing this.

I can see where those who followed are coming from, but I thought MightyGem was talking about the BBC having a habit of being Mawkish.

Anyway, RIP. Always very sad to see a story like this.

STH

[Mackay]

My sympathies go out to all who were involved.

Im glad the mods took the last post down, entirely inappropriate and quite frankly sick.

[Chippyfan]

Having met Igor on several ocassions I can honestly say that he was a true aviator and a proud family man! He lived to fly like many on this forum and he enjoyed every aspect of aviation.
Rest In Peace dear friend - you will be sorely missed by all your friends in the UK who had the great pleasure to know you!:sad:

I hope there's a place, way up in the sky,
Where pilots can go, when they have to die-
A place where a guy can go and buy a cold beer
For a friend and comrade, whose memory is dear;
A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread,
Nor management type would ere be caught dead;
Just a quaint little place, kinda dark and full of smoke,
Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke;
The kind of place where a lady could go
And feel safe and protected, by the men she would know.

There must be a place where old pilots go,
When their paining is finished, and their airspeed gets low,
Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,
And the songs about flying and dying are sung,
Where you'd see all the fellows who'd flown west before.
And they'd call out your name, as you came through the door;
Who would buy you a drink if your thirst should be bad,
And relate to the others, "He was quite a good lad!"

And then through the mist, you'd spot an old guy
You had not seen for years, though he taught you how to fly.
He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear,
And say, "Welcome, my son, I'm pleased that you're here.
"For this is the place where true flyers come,
"When the journey is over, and the war has been won
"They've come here to at last to be safe and alone
From the government clerk and the management clone,
"Politicians and lawyers, the Feds and the noise
Where the hours are happy, and these good ol'boys
"Can relax with a cool one, and a well-deserved rest;
"This is Heaven, my son -- you've passed your last test!"

Capt. Michael J. Larkin

[Nemrytter]

I knew Igor indirectly, and have always heard good things about him. I'm sure he'll be missed greatly.

Is the BBC correct with this?
Russia's entire fleet of Su-27 jets was grounded earlier this year after two crashes in three days, the Associated Press news agency reported.

I thought it was the Fencer that was grounded...

[G-CPTN]

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the Su-27 fleet had been grounded earlier this year instead of the Su-24 fleet.
From:- BBC NEWS | Europe | Pilot dies as Russia jets collide (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8204072.stm)

Maybe they read PPRuNe?

[bnt]

The site English Russia has some photos of the accident and the aftermath: English Russia Plane Catastrophe (http://englishrussia.com/?p=4835)
:ouch:

[Stitchbitch]

That 'birdstrike bird' must have hit very hard, the picture of the parachute is actually a picture of the brake parachutes which normally live at the back, between the engines of the Flanker. The twin sticker look a bit worse for wear at the front end, could it possibly have been in formation behind and below the lead and collided, thus forcing the brake chute from the lead a/c?

A sad day for Russian aviation.

[cargosales]

A very very sad day indeed. RIP chap.

Stitchbitch, a bird doesn't have to hit terribly hard to cause devastating damage if it occurs at precisely the wrong moment. As happened to Anatoly Kvochur in the MiG-29 at Paris in 1989.

His a/c took a bird down the RH intake during a slow speed pass and when he advanced the throttles the RH hand engine didn't want to play ball anymore. Fortunately, and gawd knows how, he survived a VERY low level ejection and a VERY close encounter with the fireball that a few seconds previously had been a perfectly good aircraft.

It's in Russian but provides a good visual account of how lucky he was YouTube - Mig-29 crash at Paris Air Show Le Bourget 1989 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL1FblthxQ0)

I still can't believe quite how sanguine and matter-of-fact about it all he was about it when we interviewed him, albeit a few years later when he was flying Flankers for a living. But I guess they didn't hand out the 'Hero of the Soviet Union' award to just anyone.

I was honoured just to meet the guy

CS

[BOAC]

Do we have any information on the way it happened ie were they in formation, 'opposing', or what?

[ian176]

Sir Vaylance

Well said, Sir. If he really is from Woodvale and working for BAeS then having just read the latest Air Force Monthly I could say to him "They do seem to have a habit of doing this"...

Quote:
MANTIS MISSES FIRST FLIGHT TARGET

Two target dates selected for BAeS for the first flight of its Mantis med-alt, long-endurance UAV demonstrator have now been missed...

...BAe officials are reluctant to speculate on when the first flight will take place.
http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/thumbs.gif
apart from is profile saying "police pilot" - but why let that get in the way of some BAE bashing :bored:

[Sir Vaylance Radar]

MightyGem
If, as SirToppamHat suggests, your comment was aimed at the BBC then I apologise for accusing you of making an unworthy remark.
(Anyway I disassociate myself from the BAe bashing := )

[darren13]

Very Sad Loss!!!!!.

[MightyGem]

I thought that I'd put one of these :( in my first post to convey my sympathies.

I was merely commenting on the sad fact that there have been rather a lot of Russian display accidents over the years.







PS: it's Woodford not Woodvale foe BAeS

[Stitchbitch]

Cargosales, you are not wrong. I belive he was in Afghanistan prior to test piloting, a cool customer by all accounts.
By birdstrike I was refering to the pictures in one of the threads above which shows the Flankers post collision, one a/c with a missing / damaged nose cone, the other a/c with an engine fire. The start of the incident could well have been a birdstrike, but the main damage to the second jet looks it came from a collision with something a bit more substantial (imho).

Do the Russians ever release BOI findings?

[SirToppamHat]

ITAR-TASS News Agency reported yesterday that the FDRs had been found, were in normal condition and that experts are working on them.

Air Force experts have reached a preliminary conclusion as to what may have caused the crash. Their final findings will be announced. As with several other crashes, the crash last Sunday resulted from a tragic combination of various circumstances. There were no faults with the aircraft.

Tragic whatever the cause.

STH

[eu01]

The next airshow (today), the next accident of Su-27, victims again, two pilots dead. No faults with the aircrafts?