Military plane crash. Pilots failed to eject in time
On Saturday, Bulgaria was supposed to host an air show, which would have attracted large crowds. There was a special occasion for this – the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria’s accession to NATO. On September 13, during exercises, however, a military aircraft crashed at the Graf Ignatievo air base (almost 150 km east of Sofia). There are victims.
According to public broadcaster Byłgarsko Nacionalno Radio, two pilots died in the accident.
Shows at Bulgarian air base canceled
According to BNR, Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov canceled the show in connection with the crash of the L-39 ZA military transport aircraft (these aircraft have been used by the army since 1994).
Journalists reveal details of the shocking tragedy. The pilots performed maneuvers at low altitude – and although they had the opportunity to free themselves from the machine, they did not manage to eject. The causes of the disaster will now be determined – an investigation is ongoing. The offnews.bg website reports that the maneuver performed by the pilot was one of the “very complicated” ones.
On the same day, the President of Bulgaria flew in an F-16
Earlier that day, President Rumen Radev sat as a co-pilot in the Western multirole fighter. “He took part in a demonstration flight of the F-16 at the air base (Graf Ignatievo – ed.) at the invitation of the United States Air Force,” reports the Bulgarian website haberg.net.
The editorial team also published a video showing a burning plane. The plane burst into flames after hitting the ground, and a column of black smoke began to rise above it.
In connection with the disaster, Bulgaria declared a day of mourning – September 14. An air show was also to be held that day – to mark the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but was canceled by the head of the Bulgarian Ministry of National Defense.
Military plane crash in Bulgaria. Preliminary proceedings started
The cause of the incident will now be investigated by a team of military prosecutors and the military police.
“Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov has been informed about the preparatory proceedings. All documentation related to the case will be seized. A number of experts will also be appointed,” offnews.bg reports.
