Astana, Kazakhstan, Sept.24
By Daniyar Mukhtarov - Trend:
The crew and the black box of the crashed Su-27 has not yet been found, different versions of the crash are considered, First Deputy Chief of the Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, Major-General Marat Uashpaev said during a press conference.
"Quest for the crew continues So far, no evidence of death of the crew has been found, nor has the black box been located," Marat Uashpaev said.
He added that the human factor and equipment failure is considered among other versions of the event.
"A place of the crash was found in the area of the village of Koksu. Debris was scattered over a 500 meter radius of 500. A special commission is created, search work is being are carried out. The results of the Commission will shed light on the reasons for the incident," Uashpaev said.
The ministry notes that the training flight of the Su-27 was carried out without ammunition.
The ministry stated that the pilots are highly qualified and have extensive experience in piloting. One of the pilots, Lt. Col. Erlan Zhilkibaevich Nauanov participated in large-scale exercise "Steppe Eagle", "Comradeship", "Air Force" and was a participant in martial parade, which was held May 7, 2013 at the 40th base "Otar", according to the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan.
He represented the armed forces of Kazakhstan on "Peace Mission 2014" joint anti-terrorist exercises of the SCO countries in August 2014. He also mastered the following types of aircraft: MiG-27, MiG-23, MiG-23UB and Su-27.
The other pilot, Lt. Col. Denis Ivanovich Gorbunov participated in the "KADEX-2014" exhibition in the exercises of SCOR of the CSTO, as well as in the military parade on May 7 in Astana. He had mastered the following types of aircraft: MiG-23UB, the Yak-52, MiG-23MN, MiG-27D, and the Su-27.
The total flying time of Nauanov was 984 hours and Gorbunov - 784 hours.