Ukrainian Pilot: Russian Pilots Are Not Always Sober

We are witnessing a natural destruction of the Russian aviation industry.

Yesterday at a Russian airbase a bomber crew died after an unauthorized activation of the ejection system, and already today in the Ivanovo region an An-22 Antey military transport plane crashed.

What is known about the causes of yesterday's death of the Russian bomber crew? The website Charter97.org talked about it with the colonel of the AFU in reserve, military expert and flight instructor Roman Svitan:

- This is information from a Russian blogger who, in principle, can be trusted. As a rule, when he publishes such information, it is later confirmed. Russia has only a few bombers with ejection capability. The main bombers, especially strategic bombers, are not equipped with such a system - there is another way of leaving the aircraft.

The ejection system is available on the old Su-24 frontline bombers, where the crew consists of a pilot and a navigator, on the Su-34, as well as on the Tu-22M3 strategic missile bomber. That is, these are the three types of aircraft that fit the description circulated by Russian bloggers.

The planes are old, no questions asked. The ejection mechanism is generally reliable, but there are nuances, especially on the Tu-22M3. It has a crew of four people, and there is a so-called commander's button. If at the parking lot crimped some limit switches that should block ejection from the ground, this button can trigger ejection of the entire crew. Such limit switches can be crimped, and this creates a risk.

A similar case has already happened: in 2021, on a Tu-22M3, four pilots were ejected on the ground after this button was triggered. Only one survived, three died. The crew was not even ready for ejection. So now, the same situation may have happened again, if we are really talking about the Tu-22M3.

If it was a Su-34 or Su-24, the picture could be similar - especially if the ejection took place in a hangar. In such conditions, the crew has no chance of survival: the seats will not penetrate the slabs, and the impact will be extremely strong. For such an abnormal ejection, several factors must coincide: crimped endcaps, crew error or technical failure. In most cases it is human error. Russians, unfortunately, are more prone to it: not always sober, not always collected. Sometimes they go out to perform a task and die.

- What factors could have led to the An-22 Antey crash during a scheduled overflight?

- An-22 Antey is an airplane of my age. It was created in the 60s and has flown for more than 60 years. They tried to restore it, put it in the air, but in the end it was never brought to a reliable condition. Such "grandfathers" should not fly anymore. I'm a grandfather and I don't fly. And the airplanes that are older than me are trying to be put back on the wing and made to do missions. We can't fly anymore, to put it mildly. This is, of course, a share of sarcasm, but it helps to understand the general state of affairs.

- Why are accidents in Russian military aviation becoming more frequent?

- The number of sorties on old equipment is extremely high. When carrying out combat missions and waging war, the air resource is exhausted very quickly. Airplanes wear out, pilots get tired - and this must be clearly understood.

And besides, Russia does not have many pilots. Many died in the war against Ukraine, many have aged and left due to age. Young pilots are coming out of accelerated training programs, which in itself reduces safety. Against the background of equipment fatigue and human error, this inevitably increases the accident rate.

Sanctions also play a huge role: Russia is practically unable to produce new aircraft or repair old ones.

And most importantly. Russia is only a remnant of the Soviet Union. At one time the USSR produced a huge amount of aircraft, distributing production across fifteen republics. Now Russia is trying to restore the same nomenclature, but without the Union's industrial base it is simply impossible. It does not have and will not have the production capabilities that the Soviet Union had.

That is why we are witnessing the natural outcome of the destruction of the Russian aviation industry. A logical outcome of the end of the epic of the Russian Empire.

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