Two russian military aircraft crashed into the residential buildings over the last week. The Su-34 strike aircraft went down in Yeysk (Krasnodar region), October 17. The Su-30SM fighter aircraft flew into the residential neighbourhood in Irkutsk (Irkutsk region), October 23.
A footage posted online shows details of the Su-34 strike aircraft crash. Russian officials claim pilots were trying to take the aircraft aside from the building. The recording from a car DVR appeared on the network showing the plane flying right between the houses on the Krasna st. This indicates that the flight path did not correspond to the route (12 degrees deviation).
Read more: The Su-30SM Collapsed During a Test Flight In russia: For the Second Time This Week, a Plane Crashes Into a Residential Building (Video)
Despite the official version that the engine was burning, there was no fire іn the footage. Power grids were also working. We can see the sidelights and the landing light.
It is stated that pilots ejected right before the collision. And the plane landed as carefully as possible in between the residential building and the mall, considering there was a traffic jam and a kindergarten in front.
Meanwhile, there was an industrial area and a wasteland in 300-400 meters. And the decision to eject was probably taken in a few seconds before the crash without hesitation.
Notably, the landing gear of the plane was out. The Su-34 aircraft folds it almost immediately after the take off, definitely not after 4-5 km.
We can assume that the aircraft was uncontrollable because of the technical issues or the erroneous actions of the pilots. It could have happened due to long service life of the plane or work of unprofessional pilots, taking into account lack of specialists in russia. 15 people died as a result of the Su-34 aircraft crash.
The information about the Su-30SM fighter aircraft crash is not fully collected and disclosed. However, it is known, the plane carried out the flight from the plant as a new or repaired aircraft.
It is stated that an entire crew stopped responding 20 minutes before the accident. The pilots of another plane that took off to intercept noticed that the crew was unconscious. The Su-30SM fighter aircraft had been circling until it ran out of fuel and fell.
But the version that the pilots allegedly lost consciousness cannot withstand criticism - due to the peculiarities of the aircraft's control system. In particular, given that this aircraft is equipped with SDU-10 fly-by-wire system, it would simply fly in a straight line in automatic mode if the pilots lost control of the aircraft. At the same time, after the full consumption of fuel, most likely, it would crash somewhere hundreds of kilometers from the airfield.
Fly-by-wire control systems allow aircraft computers to perform tasks without pilot input. Automatic stability systems operate in this way.
For instance, the Su-35S flew 400 more km and fell in Sakhalin when the pilot had ejected after the take off from Komsomolsk-on-Amur in 2021.
Obviously, the pilots of the Su-30SM fighter aircraft did not eject. A footage shows the plane falling almost vertically and it seems like the pilot was pulling the lever.
Pilot error is unlikely to be the reason of the crash because there were probably test pilots. So it might be a technical issue.
We can assume that the reason of both crashes is failure of SDU-10MK fly-by-wire system, which both aircraft are equipped with. It’s not excluded that system has components that russia can’t change because of sanctions or resource shortages.
Last but not least, russia should pay attention to such indicators and “land” all the planes for a complete examination and identification of the cause. But it’s not possible as the Su-34 and the Su-30 are one of the main fighter aircraft in russia. That means planes may continue to fall.
Read more: Su-34 Aircraft Crashed into a High-rise Building in russian Yeysk
