Aviation
Military /
Russia
Abnormal ejection
Accident killed three crew members of a Russian Tupolev TU22M bomber
Tu-22m
Tupolev
Dmitriy Pichugin, GFDL 1.2, via Wikimedia Commons
Rafael Ramos
4/1/2021
An unusual and tragic accident involving the Russian bomber Tupolev Tu-22M3 Backfire-C of Russian aerospace forces killed three at the Shaykovka airbase in the Kaluga region of western Russia. According to the Russian defense minister, the crew lost their lives because of an abnormal ejection operation.
The incident occurred on the 23rd, while the Tu-22M was being prepared for a training flight in Shaykovka. The ejections occurred when the engines were started.
Tu-22m3
Tupolev
CC BY-SA 3.0
It is not yet known whether these seats were activated intentionally or not. A fourth crew member survived the accident and was taken to a medical center.
The ejection seats on this aircraft are not type 00, that is, they can be ejected safely without a minimum speed and altitude. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the three crew members were killed because there was not enough height to safely launch the parachutes after the ejection.
Tu-22m3
Tupolev
CC BY-SA 2.0
Although the Tu-22M3 is a nuclear-capable bomber, there were no nuclear weapons on board the aircraft at the time of the incident. There are unconfirmed reports that damage to the bomber is minor and that returning to service may be possible after due repairs.
The Russian Aerospace Forces have launched an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
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Rafael Ramos
Aviation enthusiast from an early age, he had his first contacts with the area developing that good old habit of spending dozens of hours in front of the screens of Micrsoft Flight Simulator and other simulators. With a solid background in various technological areas, including engineering and chemistry, Rafael has rejoined aviation as editor and author of articles and materials on our portal, providing invaluable help to the dynamics and expansion of the website and the aeronautical community, bringing us the news and updates so indispensable for us to remain current in our area of operation.
   
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