Air Forces of the Russian Federation Lost at Once Two Fighters and Commander of "Russian Heroes" in the Day of Its Professional Holiday

The commander of air display team "Russian Heroes" Igor Tkachenko died as a result of collision of planes in the sky over Zhukovsky situated near Moscow, information centre of air group of aerobatics "Strizhy" informs. As they say in the message, plane Su-27 with Tkachenko and Igor Kurilenko on board collided with Su-27 with Vitaly Melnik. Tkachenko died after ejection, two other pilots are hospitalised.

Accident with fighters Su-27 from air display group "Russian Heroes" took place over fly ground "Ramensky" where preparation for the International aerospace salon "MAX-2009" opening on Tuesday passes. Collision of cars occurred at the moment of re-forming of five planes from the group "Russian Heroes" over first bottom of the Moskva River outside the territory of air show.

According to law enforcement bodies, "both planes after collision fell in the field near to village Rybaky of Ramensky area". In his turn deputy head of the city Zhukovsky Ivan Smirnov informed ITAR-TASS that fragments of fighters "fell to the country co-operative society located not far from Zhukovsky. There are no damages made inside city boundaries". There's no info about victims on the place of falling of planes.

According to the chief of the Public Relations of Air Forces of the Russian Federation lieutenant colonel Vladimir Drik, "special commission of Minister of Defence and General Staff of Air Forces created for investigation of reasons of avia incident".

Su-27 - is multi-purpose front fighter which is adopted since 1984. It is being produced in variants of fighter for Air Forces and interceptor - for air defense. The plane was developed as an effective remedy of struggle against the air enemy and equipped with powerful arms. Maximum speed - more than 2,5 thousand km/hour, range of flight - up to 3900 km. Combat load - up to 6 tons. Su-27 has up to 10 rockets of "air-to-air" class, 30-mm gun and also aerial bombs and uncontrollable rockets for defeat of land and surface purposes.

"Russian Heroes" - air group of aerobatics of Air Forces of Russia. It was created on April, 5th, 1991 on the basis of 237th Proskurovsky Krasnoznamenny guards regiment Kutuzov and Alexander Nevsky awards from the best pilots of situated near Moscow air base Kubinka and other garrisons of Russia. It's a part of Show Center of Aerotechnics named after I.N.Kozhedub.

"Русские витязи" - авиационная группа высшего пилотажа Военно-воздушных сил России. Создана 5 апреля 1991 года на базе 237-го гвардейского Проскуровского Краснознаменного орденов Кутузова и Александра Невского авиаполка из лучших лётчиков подмосковной авиабазы Кубинка и других гарнизонов России. Входит в состав Центра показа авиационной техники имени И. Н. Кожедуба.

Pilots of the group perform single and group pilotage as a part of four, five and six fighters of the fourth generation Su-27. Planes are painted in colours of national flag of Russia. Earlier air show management informed that all program of demonstration performances would pass in specially taken away zone located at a distance from spectator tribunes and expocentre MAX. "The order of carrying out of demonstration performances are completely worked out and is followed not for one year", - the representative of management said.

It's not the first incident with planes of "Russian Heroes". So, on December, 12th, 1995 at landing approach for refuelling in the Vietnamese airfield Camranh because of unsatisfactory organisation of flights in difficult meteoconditions three fighters of this group faced mountain. As a result four pilots - colonel Boris Grigoriev, lieutenant colonels Nikolay Grechanov, Nikolay Kordyukov and Alexander Syrovoy - died. They were buried in a village cemetery Nikolsky near Kubinka. In October, 1996 a monument was opened on a tomb of dead "Russian Heroes".

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Under specified data, inhabitant of Moscow suburbs is seriously injured and was also hospitalized as a result of falling of one of two fighters Su-27 on the apartment house which collided during training flights around airfield situated near Moscow Zhukovsky. A woman who was in the street has got strong burns during the crash of the airplane. According to Ministry of Emergency Affairs, three persons suffered and were also hospitalized with serious burns.

 

As a result of a crash of airplane one house was destroyed completely, two houses still burn.