Russian training air base commander killed in L-39 crash

15 August, 2023 Russian L-39. Photo from open sources The crash of an L-39 training aircraft in Russia killed the commander of the Maykop training air base.

The Russian Telegram channel Baza reported on this. The aircraft crashed on the evening of August 14 during training flights. According to sources, the L-39 crash killed Colonel Vadim Gurov, who was the commander of a Russian military training air base located near the city of Maykop in the Republic of Adygea.

It is reported that during landing at the end of the training flight, the aircraft did not hit the runway but hit the ground, after which it collided with a short-range navigation radio tower.

Colonel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vadim Gurov. Photo credits: Telegram/BAZA

Russian Colonel Gurov, who was in the training jet, died on the spot. Mikhail Lipatkin, a senior flight instructor at the main flight test center at Akhtubinsk air base, was also in the L-39 cockpit.

He was injured in the accident and taken to hospital. After the crash, it was stated that the plane had crashed within the military airfield. There were allegedly no injuries on the ground.

The cause of the crash was under investigation. It should be noted that it was first reported that on August 14, an L-39 aircraft crashed in the Krasnodar Krai of the Russian Federation.

L-39 training aircraft of the Russian Navy.

Photo credits: Russian media

Czech-made L-39 training aircraft is designed to train flight crews. As previously reported, on August 12, in the Kaliningrad region of Russia, a Su-30 two-seater multi-role fighter crashed. The accident occurred during a training flight.

The crew died.

Russia has been using Su-30 fighter jets in the war against Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale invasion.

They are used to hit ground targets and provide air cover for Russian strike aircraft.