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Jet Crash Kills About 20 at Ukraine Air

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chperplt

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Nov 25, 2001
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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.
 
I wonder if the pilot was flying directly over the crowd. Those kind of manouvers have been banned at European and US airshows since the Frecce Tricolori accident at Rammstein AFB.

Nice of this guy to punch out and dump his plane in the crowd. Several pilots in the past have stayed at the controls and gone in with the plane to ensure it didn't hit people on the ground.
 
Eagle, don't be quick to judge.
I saw the video and they did stay with it.
Saw every point of what happened and never saw either pilot punch out.
However, on the news now, they are saying one did and is extremely injured.
From the video you cannot see where or when he got out, but had to be at last second.
They were dammed if they did and dammed if they didn't. Looks like they really tried and had no luck.
 

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