Three Ukrainian army pilots die in mid-air collision

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Three Ukrainian army pilots together with a “mega talent” who yearned to fly F-16s had been killed on Friday when two L-39 fight coaching plane collided over a area west of Kyiv on Friday, the air pressure stated.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who’s relying on swift coaching of crews to fly as much as 61 F-16 fighter jets promised by his Western allies, stated in his nightly video tackle that the three males included Andriy Pilshchykov, callsign Juice, “a Ukrainian officer, one of those who greatly helped our state”.

Air pressure spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat described Pilshchykov – who was fluent in English and aged 29 when Reuters interviewed him in December – as a “mega talent” and chief of reforms.

“You can’t even imagine how much he wanted to fly an F-16,” Ihnat wrote on his Facebook web page. “But now that American planes are actually on the horizon, he will not fly them.”

Ukraine’s prosecutor normal’s workplace introduced a prison investigation had been opened into whether or not flight preparation guidelines had been violated.

“It is too early to discuss details. Certainly, all circumstances will be clarified,” Zelenskiy stated.

The air pressure introduced the crash on its Telegram app. “We express our condolences to the families of the victims. This is a painful and irreparable loss for all of us,” it stated.

Zelenskiy famous that the third Saturday in August can be when Ukrainian army and civilian aviation have a good time their skilled day, and stated the introduction of F-16s would mark a “new level” for army aviation.

“This will also bring civil aviation back to the Ukrainian skies, as it will move us closer to victory and provide Ukraine with greater security,” he stated.

Radio Svoboda shared video of blackened, mangled plane stays being faraway from a area removed from the frontlines on the village of Sinhury, about 10 km south of Zhytomyr and about 150 km west of Kyiv.

In the video, an unnamed man stated he heard an explosion within the air above the college constructing after which two planes falling in smoke and flames. A girl described seeing two planes flying at a distance from each other then coming nearer and nearer to one another earlier than the crash.

Military analyst and former pilot Roman Svitan, in an interview posted by on-line outlet Espreso TV, stated the crash was “most likely” associated to formation flying. He stated the usual distance was 50-70 meters however that typically planes flew virtually on high of one another at a distance of three to 4 meters.

He stated the L-39 was directly a fighter, an assault plane, a bomber and a coaching aircraft however that in formation flying, particularly at low altitudes, “there’s no time for ejection.”

Zelenskiy supplied condolences to the pilots’ households and added, “Ukraine will never forget anyone who defended the free skies of Ukraine.”