Pays Crash Damage Costs, Investigation Expenses

Aero-News has previously reported (most recently on November 1, originally on September 21) the case of unlucky Major Valery Troyanov, a Russian pilot who strayed off course and ran out of fuel.

Troyanov survived an ejection from his flamed-out Su-27, only to find himself at the eye of an international incident of hurricane proportions. The official Lithuanian investigation found that Troyanov, a fighter pilot with the 177th IAP (Istrebitelniy Aviatsiya Polk -- Fighter Aviation Regiment) at Lodejnoe Pole (ICAO Identifier ULPO) east of St. Petersburg, was poorly trained and inexperienced, and primarily responsible for the accident, despite the failure of his onboard navigation equipment.

A Russian Air Force representative, allowed as a courtesy to participate in the investigating commission, disagreed strongly with the majority report, and praised Troyanov's skills.

Major Troyanov has returned to his duties with the 177th IAP. The cheerful, patriotic pilot has become an unlikely hero to the Russian public.

The case can now be considered closed, with the announcement Wednesday the Russian government has paid the Lithuanian government the requested sum of 67,062.88 Lithuanian litai, or about $23,250 US. The amount represented the costs of cleaning up the crash site and investigating the mishap.

FMI: www.mil.ru