by Vladmir Karnozov and Rebecca Rayko

Photos of the pilots during the post-crash briefing can be seen here.

LE BOURGET, June 12, 1999 - The oohs and aahs of an amazed crowd of spectators during the flying display of the Sukhoi Su-30MK abruptly quieted this afternoon upon seeing something go terribly wrong for the Russian-built fighter jet.

Coming down from a "controllable" spin maneuver, the Su-30MK broke through the 1,000-foot altitude restriction mandated by air show officials. Pilots were able to recover the jet at a nose-high attitude but weren't able to break the descent rate. Onlookers saw the famed thrust vectoring afterburner nozzles of the Su-30MK burst into flame as they dragged on the ground as the pilots tried desperately to gain altitude.

The crowd, comprised mostly of press members like us, watched in disbelief as the jet which just minutes before had amazed us with its maneuverability could only climb little more than a hundred feet. It began to bank left, but the trail of fire made it obvious to onlookers that the jet was severely damaged and headed for the ground. As it gained its greatest height during the brief climb two ejection seats sprouting parachutes flew away from the flaming jet. The Sukhoi then careened over and dashed into the ground in a fireball. The aircraft was a complete loss, but from our vantage point alongside Runway 3 we could see the two pilots walk away from the wreckage.

This first prototype of the Su-30MK fighter, Blue 01, was piloted by Sukhoi design bureau's Slava Averianov and Igor Votintsev. Fortunately they were able to eject using the Zvezda K-36D3,5 seats (featured in a recent AWN article).

At press time on Saturday, the official cause of the crash was still being determined. Edmond Marchegay, general manager of the show and a pilot himself, told the gathered press corps at a quick briefing that only one thing about the accident was for certain, "The Russian ejection seats are the best in the world."

Barely one day later, in a press briefing at the Sukhoi chalet, Marchegay embraced the healthy pilots as Sukhoi explained what had happened. Mikhail Pagosyan, the General Director of Sukhoi, read a statement explaining that the flight routine had been changed from its original eight minutes to a newly dictated six minutes. The pilots had been training for an eight minute routine and now flew a shortened routine. The pilot of the aircraft explained that he had been under full power during the descent phase of the maneuver but was simply too low. He initiated the ejection procedure just prior to the moment when the large jet touched and moments later he and his colleague were ejected safely.

The Su-30MK multirole fighter is intended both for inner use and export. It was first flown some two years ago. Last year Sukhoi experimental factory assembled a second prototype, Blue 06, which is currently undergoing evaluation tests at a Russian air force flight test center.

Two days before the crash, AeroWorldNet interviewed Sukhoi test pilot Slava Averianov who was at the controls when the Blue 01 crashed. Averianov graduated from the Yeyskoye Flight School of Military Pilots and then worked for four years at the school as an instructor before getting a test pilot job at the production factory in Komsomolsk-upon-Amur, the manufacturer of the Su-27. In 1989 he was transferred to Sukhoi design bureau and since then participated in the Su-27K, the Su-35 and the Su-30MK programs.

In the interview he said that the Su-30MK had been showing itself as a reliable and safe machine during the flight test program. He described it as the world's first combat aircraft to have the super agility capability. This quality is based on using a highly intelligent integrated flight control system incorporating thrust vector control (TVC). The aircraft is powered by two Lulka-Saturn Al-31FP engines with deflectable nozzles. The engines feature a V-like arrangement, so that their nozzles move in intersecting planes, thus allowing to create a side force and bank moment.

The two Su-30MK prototypes made several hundreds of successful flights, including at very demanding regimes. They were employed in a program for working out new air combat tactics whose core was the super agility.

Two years ago India placed an order for 40 Su-30MKI fighters worth $2 billion. In December 1998, India awarded the Sukhoi an additional order for 10 aircraft. So far Russia has delivered 8 Su-30K aircraft, which later on should be modified into the Su-30MKI standard. The first MKI aircraft has to be delivered to India by the end of the year 2000. This year Russia has to deliver to India 10 more Su-30K aircraft. The Su-30K does not have canards and thrust vectoring nozzles, being an export version of the Su-30 interceptor in service with the Russian air defence units.

The impact of this accident on the Indian contract cannot be predicted yet, but seemingly Sukhoi will have to boost construction work on three more Su-30MK prototypes that it had laid down earlier at its experimental factory in Moscow. The crash might also affect negotiations with other countries on sales of this aircraft, which in particular is offered to China in a special version, the Su-30MKK.