chperplt
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Jet Crash Kills About 20 at Ukraine Air Show
Reuters
LVIV, Ukraine (July 27) - An Su-27 combat aircraft crashed at an air show in western Ukraine Saturday, killing around 20 people on the ground and injuring dozens of spectators after the two pilots managed to eject, officials said.
The Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said about 20 people died and 50 spectators were injured in the crash.
''I have seen no less than 20 bodies,'' a Reuters television cameraman said from the scene, adding that he had counted at least 20 bodies.
A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said the two-man crew were performing difficult maneuvers before they lost control of the plane.
Local officials said some ground staff had been killed in the crash at the Sknyliv airfield just outside the western city of Lviv, close to the border with Poland.
Ukraine's post-Soviet armed forces have been struggling with financial difficulties since the collapse of communism a decade ago. Their reputation was tarnished last year when a stray test missile brought down a Russian airliner.
The Russian-built Sukhoi Su-27 fighter, NATO codename Flanker, is comparable to the U.S. F-15 Eagle but has a superior performance in many respects.
A Russian military export success, it is now a key frontline fighter for the air forces of China and Vietnam, as well as Ukraine and some Central Asian republics. The Su-27 amazed audiences at its first appearances at Western air shows in the 1990s with aerobatic maneuvers previously unknown for a twin-engine jet aircraft its size.
Reuters
LVIV, Ukraine (July 27) - An Su-27 combat aircraft crashed at an air show in western Ukraine Saturday, killing around 20 people on the ground and injuring dozens of spectators after the two pilots managed to eject, officials said.
The Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said about 20 people died and 50 spectators were injured in the crash.
''I have seen no less than 20 bodies,'' a Reuters television cameraman said from the scene, adding that he had counted at least 20 bodies.
A spokesman for the Defense Ministry said the two-man crew were performing difficult maneuvers before they lost control of the plane.
Local officials said some ground staff had been killed in the crash at the Sknyliv airfield just outside the western city of Lviv, close to the border with Poland.
Ukraine's post-Soviet armed forces have been struggling with financial difficulties since the collapse of communism a decade ago. Their reputation was tarnished last year when a stray test missile brought down a Russian airliner.
The Russian-built Sukhoi Su-27 fighter, NATO codename Flanker, is comparable to the U.S. F-15 Eagle but has a superior performance in many respects.
A Russian military export success, it is now a key frontline fighter for the air forces of China and Vietnam, as well as Ukraine and some Central Asian republics. The Su-27 amazed audiences at its first appearances at Western air shows in the 1990s with aerobatic maneuvers previously unknown for a twin-engine jet aircraft its size.