Is this the cause of the MIG-21 crash? A retired colonel excludes only one thing from the investigation

Mig-21 plane crash near Loznica, Photo: Tanjug

Extremely low altitude at which you are “MiG-21” flew over the town of Brasina near Mali Zvornik, as well as the last maneuvers just before the accident, are at the center of the investigation that was opened on the occasion of a serious plane crash in which two Air Force pilots died, Major Dejan Krsnik and Captain First Class Zvonko Veselinović.

They were tragically killed on Friday morning, on a regular flight assignment, when the plane they were piloting, for unknown reasons, crashed into a nearby stream just above the surrounding houses.

These circumstances form the basis of the investigation carried out by two military commissions, one under the authority of the Serbian Army General Staff and the other, an expert, led by the Air Force Command. Your task is to collect all the facts, eyewitness statements and the results of the experience of the wreck of the “MiG 21” and give an answer on the exact cause of the accident.

The first information from the investigation, for the moment, excludes the aircraft malfunction, and the course of the further investigation is directed at an extremely low altitude and possibly a human factor in the management of the aircraft. For now, military investigators are of the opinion that the crew was trying to get the plane to a higher altitude, which lost buoyancy for an as yet unknown reason. This explains the last maneuvers of the pilot, the “turn” of the plane, as well as the discarded tank of the aircraft, which ended up in a small close.

What led to the tragic denouement could be “told” by the flight parameter recording device, which records most changes in the operation of engines, assemblies and installations, as well as commands from the cockpit. However, this device records the data on tape, so the big question is whether it remained intact and could be used to read in the aircraft explosion and the fire that followed. This data, if saved, will “overlap” with the flight plan and communication of the deceased pilots with the operational center at the RV Command.

Pilots killed, Photo: Colage

– “MiG 21” went through all prescribed procedures before takeoff. There was really nothing to indicate that a tragedy awaited him. Friday was a relatively calm day in Batajnica, because a large number of flights were not planned due to the announced change in weather conditions. Only a few planes took off between eight and nine o’clock on their assignments. Unfortunately, Zvone and Krsnik did not return, says the Air Force interlocutor.

The commission will also analyze the fact that the plane crashed just a few hundred meters from the hometown of pilot Zvonko Vasiljevic, as well as that he previously announced to his mother that he would fly over the family home in Donja Borina. An important circumstance is that the “MiG 21” made two flights over the town, before it collapsed and died. There is almost no doubt that the unfortunate crew realized that the plane was advancing unstoppably towards the ground, so they managed to avoid the inhabited part of the town and crashed into a lot without houses.

Military aviation experts recall relatively rare technical failures as causes of accidents, but they also say that the “MiG 21” is an aircraft that sometimes knows how to change its mood. The age of the plane is usually a third-class matter.

– There is no old or young plane, there is a correct or defective one. The “MiG 21” is a reliable and safe aircraft, but there is much experience about the problems that arose in its use in the JNA and other armies. Look for a pilot who knows him in the soul, as long as he can give different headaches to the pilots of other aircraft. In other words, you’re looking for a safe hand, which can be crucial in unforeseen situations, says Miodrag Stevanović, a retired Air Force regiment.

Retired Colonel Zoran Biserčić, on the occasion of the tragedy that affected the Serbian army, says that the causes of the accident may be different, but that it certainly cannot be that the plane took off defective.

Mig-21 plane crash near Mali Zvornik, Photo: Alo.rs

– It is true that it took off correctly, and the reasons for the accident may be different: a malfunction, a bad behavior of the pilot … It can be a combination of circumstances, it just happens. Pilot work is extremely risky and is influenced by a thousand factors. The pilot usually makes about 3,000 eyes on landing alone, in just a few minutes, explains Biserčić.

The Sabac District Prosecutor’s Office, with the corresponding teams, including the Military Police, continued the investigation at the scene of the plane crash in the village of Donja Brasina, near Mali Zvornik, in the village near the mine, said Zoran Obradovic, Sabac district attorney.

– All the circumstances of the plane crash are considered, everything that is necessary for the analysis of events and future experience is collected. They are looking for the box, which was on the plane, which records the work of the plane, as well as all the details that should help establish how the accident happened, says prosecutor Obradović.