"PARIS, June 12 — A Russian Sukhoi-30 combat jet crashed at the Paris airshow on Saturday but both pilots ejected safely and no one was hurt on the ground, show organizers said. The plane scraped the ground during a loop, then attempted unsuccessfully to gain altitude before falling back, eyewitnesses and show organizers said.

Airshow director Edmond Marchegay told a news briefing that the two pilots ejected seconds after impact. “Both of the pilots are in good shape. We took them to a hospital to be checked ... but they walked away on the runway,” he said. Firefighters rushed to put out the flames from the wreckage, which was about a kilometer away from spectators, according to show organizers, although some photographers said they were only 100 yards away. Airshow officials said it was too early to determine the cause of the crash."

(source: MSNBC, 06-12-99)

"LE BOURGET, France (AP) - The world's largest air show opened on an ominous note today when a prototype of Russia's most advanced fighter jet crashed during a flight demonstration.

The blue and white Sukhoi-30 MK had just finished fluttering like a leaf in a controlled descent when it appeared to lose power coming out of a dive at the 43rd Paris Air Show. The plane plunged to the ground, appeared to lightly touch it, then soared back into the air with its tail aflame.

Then the two pilots ejected from the jet and the plane crashed. Two muffled blasts were heard and black smoke billowed from the crash site on the airfield, far from spectators. The pilots weren't injured, the air show's organizers said.

``For the moment we don't know if it's a mechanical incident or if he flew too low,'' said Patrick Guerin, an air show spokesman.

The twin engine jet crashed hours after French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated the eight-day event on a day reserved for the news media.


(source: AP, 06-12-99)

"MOSCOW, June 12 (Reuters) - The Russian pilot who crashed a Sukhoi-30 combat jet at the Paris air show on Saturday apologised for his mistake, saying he took the blame after attempting an ambitious aerial manoeuvre.

Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted the pilot, Vyacheslav Averyanov, as telling the plane's chief designer that he took responsibility for letting the jet go out of control.

The plane scraped the ground at the bottom of a downward loop, then attempted unsuccessfully to gain altitude before falling back down and bursting into flames just about a kilometre (mile) from spectators. No one was hurt and the two pilots ejected safely.

Sorry, I did one too many revolutions in a flat corkscrew and I couldn't pull her out. I didn't have the altitude to get the plane out of the manoeuvre.

Averyanov was quoted as saying.

Mikhail Simonov, who designed the plane, told Tass he had no hard feelings towards Averyanov ``who owned up to his mistake in piloting the aircraft.''

The designer said Averyanov would remain a test pilot for the Sukhoi-30 jet and would test a new prototype in Russia.

Tass said the aircraft had made three earlier flights at the show in Le Bourget."

(source: Reuters, 06-12-99)