Investigation underway at Shatalovo

Published: 3/17/2000

A military commission is investigating the crash of an Su-24 at the Shatalovo aerodrome in the Smolensk region. The crash occurred on 14th March when, during the landing approach, the crew of the training flight found that the aircraft controls were not responding. The pilots managed to relay the information to the control tower, before ejecting from the aircraft, which crashed 30 km to the west of the airfield. According to the Air Force, causing no damage other than the destruction of the aircraft. The experience of the crew makes pilot error unlikely. The Su-24 does not enjoy a good reputation among military pilots, who consider the engine to be unreliable and to have a short life limit. Last August, an Su-24 belonging to the Ukrainian Air Force crashed during a training flight near the village of Liplyany, in the Kivertsovsky region. The two pilots escaped, using the ejector seats. No one was injured.

Article ID: 1704