Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

UPDATED: Two pilots killed as military transport plane crashes while training for air show

Graf Ignatievo Air Base
Photo: BTA

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov has cancelled the air show at the Graf Ignatievo Air Base after an L-39 ZA military transport plane crashed, the Defence Ministry said.

The accident occurred during preparations for tomorrow's demonstrations to mark the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to NATO

The L-39 trainer crashed at the Graf Ignatyevo airbase while performing a complex manoeuvre at extremely low altitude. The two pilots had no reaction time for ejection. They were killed in the crash. An investigation is under way. Measures have been taken to locate the fires and determine the causes of the accident. 

Earlier today, President Rumen Radev took part as co-pilot in a demonstration flight of an F-16 fighter jet at the airbase at the invitation of the US Air Force.

A Day of Mourning for the Armed Forces has been declared for tomorrow.

The L-39 trainer aircraft has been in service in Bulgaria since 1994, when Bulgaria received 36 aircraft from Czechoslovakia, of which only 6 were flying as of 2014. They have been undergoing repairs in the Bulgarian military-industrial complex, BNT reported.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

120 kg of gold seized at Capitan Andreevo BCP

Customs officials have seized a record 120 kg of gold at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the border with Turkey. Gold bars, coins and jewellery were seized. The driver, a Bulgarian national, was arrested and charged. Another man with Bulgarian and..

published on 9/13/24 3:53 PM

President Radev urges Skopje to be realistic in bilateral relations

Bulgaria has always been open to dialogue with North Macedonia and expects that this dialogue will contribute not only to our cultural rapprochement, but also to the strengthening of economic cooperation. We expect that this dialogue will finally..

published on 9/13/24 1:47 PM

President Rumen Radev co-pilots F-16, praises the aircraft's capabilities

President Rumen Radev was co-pilot in an F-16 fighter piloted by an Italian pilot. The demonstration flight from the Graf Ignatyevo airbase lasted 40 minutes.  "The F-16 flight took me back to 2005, when General Clark, then a captain, and I flew..

published on 9/13/24 11:56 AM