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State Bureau of Investigation considering multiple versions of fatal trainer aircraft collision

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State Bureau of Investigation considering multiple versions of fatal trainer aircraft collision
The site of the crash of two Air Force jets, which killed three pilots, on Aug. 25, 2023. (Photo: State Bureau of Investigations / Telegram)

The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) is considering three versions of the fatal collision of L-39 jet trainers in Zhytomyr Oblast that caused the death of three pilots, the DBR's communications advisor Tetiana Sapian said on Aug. 28.

These include a technical malfunction, human error on the side of the pilots, and safety violations in the organization of the flights, she said.

According to the most recent data, the planes collided during a U-turn maneuver, Sapian clarified.

The bureau's investigators, in cooperation with military specialists, will conduct a thorough medical and aviation forensic examination of the incident and inspect the black boxes of the planes. Sapian noted that is a process that will "not be done in a single day."

Three Ukrainian pilots, including a well-known pilot from the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade with the call sign Juice, died on Aug. 25 when their two training jets collided in the sky above Zhytomyr Oblast.

Air Force: 3 pilots killed in crash above Zhytomyr Oblast
Three Ukrainian pilots were killed on Aug. 25 when their planes collided in the sky, the Air Force confirmed on Aug. 26. Among the dead is a well-known pilot from the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, who had the call-sign Juice. The pilot had over 14,000 followers on Twitter.
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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