Monday, July 27, Ukraine marks the date that changed the lives of many citizens into “before” and “after”: this day was “black” in the history of the air force and aviation our state as a whole.

We will talk about the tragedy at Sknyliv airfield, located near the city.

Диалог.UA offers our readers to remember how it all happened.

It happened 18 years ago, July 27, 2002: then on the basis of the show was held in honor of the 60 anniversary of the 14th aviation corps, Ukrainian air force (former 14th air army Soviet air force).

This event was attended by over a thousand people, among whom there were many children was shown flying light aircraft and other aeronautical equipment, and the finale of the program was to be the speech of the pilots of aerobatic team “Ukrainian falcons” combat fighter “SU-27”.

Vladimir Toponar (to the left) among the test pilots aerobatic team “Ukrainian falcons”.

Aircraft operated by a member of the group, Colonel of the air force of Ukraine Volodymyr Toponar and pilot-inspector of the chief of staff of the air force of Ukraine, Colonel Yuri Yegorov. Toponar was the aircraft commander, Egorov controlled flight.

The fighter flew in the early morning from a military airfield in Zhytomyr region and by 12 o’clock was near the city. Pilots of aircraft operated over the crowd at low altitude aerobatics – “Oblique loop” and “Barrel”, but after some time the plane lost control and entered the bend, from where to go could not any more.

Diagram of the falling fighter for people and specifications.

Next, SU-27 began to rapidly lose altitude, hit a standing on the airfield the tree, the left wing hit the concrete and began to tumble along the ground. At this time in the midst of a people: the impact of the aircraft fell on them.

The disaster killed 77 people, 28 of whom were children. More than 500 people were injured varying degrees of severity. Before that, the pilots managed to eject and was really hurt.

The pilots of the crashed plane Vladimir Toponar (center) and Yuri Yegorov (far right) after the tragedy. The Sknyliv airfield, July 27, 2002.

Later Toponar and Yegorov, and the head of operations at an Airshow Yuriy Yatsyuk, head of security service of flights of the 14th corps Anatoly Lukinykh, responsible for training of crew Oleg Zabecki and Deputy commander of the 14th corps Anatoly Tretyakov appeared before the court. Some of them received long prison sentences and huge monetary fines, most of all “has got” Vladimir Toponar and Yury Yegorov.

The pilot of the SU-27B Vladimir Toponar during the trial.

They were sentenced to 14 and 8 years of imprisonment and a fine of 7.2 million and 2,458 million, respectively. And all of this amount was paid not so much to the families of the victims, as the budget of the state for the destroyed aircraft, tanker, concrete posts and barbed wire around the runway.

However, Toponar still reduced the amount of the fine up to 150 000 hryvnia. On the freedom he left 11 years later after the tragedy. Yuri Yegorov was released into the wild after 2 and a half years.

At the same time, Yuriy Yatsyuk served 6 years in prison and had to pay a fine of 700 thousand hryvnias.

But Anatoly Lukinykh was sentenced to 4 years probation and a fine of 200 thousand hryvnias.

Oleg Zubitskogo acquitted for lack of evidence.

Fighter pilot Vladimir Toponar (to the left), the head of the flight at an Airshow Yuri Yatsyuk (center), Deputy commander 14th corps Anatoly Tretyakov (right) during the trial.

In addition, during the investigation it turns out that the tragedy was involved not only military but also civilian organizers of the festival. All these people made a massive crowd of people on the runway and did not provide security measures. The then President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma has dismissed the air force commander Viktor Strelnikov and gave him to court, but was released for lack of evidence.

Punishment is also avoided and the Deputy Strelnikov Sergey Onishchenko, Deputy air force Commander for combat training Alexander Voloshenko and the Deputy chief for combat training, Vladimir Alexeev.

None of the accused pleaded not guilty, but in fairness it should be noted: Toponar and other asked for forgiveness from the relatives of the victims in the courtroom, although few people even remember.

But scandals of this story is not ended: Commission of inquiry on plane crash headed by General Palchuk, who had to tank forces, and members of the Commission were people who in reality had no relation to aviation.

Among the relatives of the victims, the investigation was called “the Case of scapegoats,” since the main emphasis was on the fact that to blame only the pilots, the civil air show organizers and the military heads of mission of lower rank, but not the commander of the air force of Ukraine and his deputies.

Then there was talk about a verbal order of the senior leadership of Ukraine about the fact that the ending of this story must be pre-registered and you need to identify scapegoats, which become Toponar and Yegorov.

In the end all the culprits failed to bring to punishment because the case involved a large policy. The very same aerobatic team “Ukrainian falcons” were soon dissolved.

On the spot death of people later there appeared a memorial in Lviv victims called “Our 77 angels”.

Commemorative events at the memorial to the victims of the Sknyliv airfield.

This tragedy has changed the attitude of the people and the authorities in Ukraine to an Airshow – after 2002 in our country, they are not held at the scale that was previously.

Author
Evgeny Ustimenko