Shocking moment: Fighter jet crashes in huge fireball, top pilots die after looping stunt goes wrong
This is the tragic moment a plane crashed to the ground in a massive fireball, killing two top pilots after a stunt went wrong.
The incident took place at the Graf Ignatievo air base, in the village of Graf Ignatievo, shortly before a military air show was due to start in Bulgaria on Friday 13.
According to local media, both pilots, Major Petko Dimitrov and Lieutenant Ventsislav Dunkin, died on the spot in the crash because the plane was flying so low that they did not have time to bail out.
Gruesome footage of the disaster shows the plane, reportedly an L-39ZA Albatros, performing aerobatics during a training exercise ahead of the air show.
Suddenly the pilot pulls the plane up and shoots high into the air. It looks like he wants to do a loop, a vertical loop of 360 degrees.
Horror footage captured the moment the plane crashed with both pilots inside
The plane exploded in a fireball shortly before a military air show was due to begin in Bulgaria
Major Petko Dimitrov (left) was one of two Bulgarian pilots who died in a plane crash on Friday. His co-pilot Senior Lieutenant Vencislav Dunkin (right) also lost his life
But he seems to be losing his power and he turns the plane around in a desperate attempt to get out of the dive as the aircraft plummets towards the ground.
The plane fails to take off and hits the ground hard, exploding immediately, creating a blaze of black smoke and burning fuel.
The person filming lowers his camera, apparently in shock, but then picks it up again. At the end of the recording, the large black cloud of smoke can be seen rising into the sky.
Bulgarian Air Force Commander Major General Dimitar Petrov stressed that it was a routine flight for which the pilots – “exemplary pilots with exceptional experience” – had been carefully preparing for several months, and that the aircraft had recently been restored.
He said: ‘Major Dimitrov was one of the best and most experienced pilots of Bulgaria. Lieutenant Dunkin was a great promise for the future.
‘Given the enormous sacrifices these pilots made in the performance of their duty, I declare September 15 a day of mourning within the armed forces.
‘In memory of the fallen, the flags are lowered.’
Bulgarian Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov canceled the air show due to the accident.
He said an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances and causes of the incident.
Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev also expressed his condolences to the families and colleagues of the fallen pilots.
According to local media, military prosecutors and investigators, as well as employees of the Military Police Service, are also investigating.
Major aviation demonstrations were scheduled to take place at Graf Ignatievo Air Base on September 14, commemorating the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria’s accession to NATO and the 35th anniversary of the MiG-29 aircraft’s service with the Bulgarian Air Force.
