The preliminary cause of the incident with the Tu-22M3 long-range bomber at the Shaikovka airfield near Kaluga, as a result of which three servicemen were killed, was called a technical malfunction in the control system. This is reported by the Telegram channel Baza.
It is specified that the mentioned aircraft uses the lever of the batch switch of systems — that is, the pilot has the opportunity to turn on all the systems individually or all together by using this lever. According to preliminary data of the investigation, the incident is connected with this mechanism. It is assumed that it was connected to the ejection system, since the process started exactly after switching the lever. It is noted that the seats of the servicemen very quickly flew up, and it was not possible to cancel the ejection.
Experts believe that the commander survived only due to the fact that his emergency evacuation system is launched separately. During the ejection of his colleagues, he was burned by gas from the engines of their seats. At the moment, experts are determining the reason for the incorrect operation of the mechanism. It is known that before the accident, experts examined the plane and carried out a number of repairs.
The incident with the Tu-22M3 at the Shaikovka airfield became known on Tuesday, March 23. Initially, it was reported that the plane crashed or made an emergency landing. Later, there was information that the emergency occurred on the ground — the bomber's catapults worked abnormally. Three soldiers were killed. One pilot survived: he managed to fasten his seat belt, while the others were still attached to the cockpit. There are no casualties among the local residents.
Later, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, who oversees the military-industrial complex , promised that the Russian authorities would conduct proceedings in connection with the incident with the long-range bomber.
The Tu-22M3 is a modification of the Soviet supersonic Tu-22M bomber. The aircraft is designed to engage ground and sea targets from high, medium and low altitudes. It was adopted in 1989 and became the most popular long-range bomber. Tu-22M3 bombers participated in operations in Syria.
Sofia Alabina
