Ukraine war: Fighter ace and two other pilots killed in mid-air crash
Source: BBC
Ukraine war: Fighter ace and two other pilots killed in mid-air crash
26 August 2023
By Alex Binley
BBC News
One of Ukraine's most celebrated fighter pilots and two other airmen have been killed in a mid-air crash.
Andrii Pilshchykov won fame taking part in dogfights over Kyiv during the early phase of Russia's invasion.
The Ukrainian military called the airmen's deaths "painful and irreparable" losses, and paid tribute to Pilshchykov as a pilot with "mega knowledge and mega talent".
The crash involved two L-39 training planes flying over northern Ukraine.
An investigation is under way into whether flight preparation rules were not correctly followed, resulting in Friday's crash in Zhytomyr Oblast. The region is west of the capital, Kyiv, and hundreds of miles from the frontline.
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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66631182
