2 of the Russian Knights Crash at Zhukovsky

MOSCOW — One pilot died and another broke his spine after two fighter jets collided during aerobatics practice near Moscow ahead of the annual air show, officials said Sunday.

Two of the three crew members on board the two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters managed to eject from the planes before they collided in the accident, which is expected to cast a shadow over the country's annual air show.

"The pilots have ejected. Two of the pilots are in satisfactory condition, one pilot has died," Russian air force spokesman Vladimir Drik said on Russian television.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed condolences to the family of the dead pilot, Igor Tkachenko, a highly-trained professional and commander of the country's celebrated Russian Knights aerobatic team, his office said.

Source

Three houses burned down and several people were sent to the hospital. This is a real shame, MAKS-09 just days away. Reason for the crash is still unclear, but an investigation has been set up and the black boxes recovered. For the time being we play the waiting game, but it may be that the Knights need a new aircraft.

Am I suffering math calculation issues here?
2 identical planes, 3 people... so one plane had one person on board and the other had 2, right? If the plane takes 2 people to fly, why was there only 1 on one of the planes.

edit- my feelings go out to the family of the one who didn't make it.
edit2- or was that two that didn't make it?

[edit on 8/16/2009 by abecedarian]

[edit on 8/16/2009 by abecedarian]

reply to post by abecedarian


they fly 2 seat flankers:




edit:


www.npr.org...


more pictures of the crash

[edit on 17/8/09 by Harlequin]

One of the pilots died because his parachute caught fire.


RIA Novosti: Pilot died in Su-27 collision because chute caught fire in air

"We have questioned the witnesses. One of them...saw the parachute of one of the pilots catching fire in the air from the burning debris of the plane. The dead pilot was later identified as Igor Tkachenko," the source said.

Originally posted by abecedarian
Am I suffering math calculation issues here?
2 identical planes, 3 people... so one plane had one person on board and the other had 2, right? If the plane takes 2 people to fly, why was there only 1 on one of the planes.

edit- my feelings go out to the family of the one who didn't make it.
edit2- or was that two that didn't make it?

[edit on 8/16/2009 by abecedarian]

[edit on 8/16/2009 by abecedarian]

It does not take 2 people to fly it. It is just a two seater, just like there are two seat F-16s and two seat F-18s too. The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels have a two seat they take along as a spare and for VIP rides.

It is sad to see any bird destroyed. I'm glad that no more were killed than there were.