Investigation Summary
The accident occurred at 18:25 local time as the Su-34, operated by the 303rd Composite Aviation Division's 277th Bomber Aviation Regiment, was departing Yeysk Air Base for a training mission. During the initial climb, the aircraft encountered a flock of birds. The investigation later confirmed that two black-headed gulls were sucked into the engines, causing an immediate fire and power loss. Unable to maintain altitude or steer away from the residential area, the aircraft struck a nine-story apartment building at the intersection of Krasnaya and Kommunisticheskaya streets. The impact and subsequent ignition of the aircraft's fuel load caused a fire that spread through multiple floors, leading to a partial collapse of the building. While secondary explosions were heard, these were attributed to 30mm cannon rounds rather than high-explosive ordnance, as the flight was a non-combat training sortie.
Final Conclusions
The Investigative Committee of Russia concluded its criminal investigation, determining that the crash was caused by a bird strike. Specifically, two black-headed gulls were ingested into the aircraft's engines during the initial climb, leading to a catastrophic engine fire and loss of thrust. This technical failure left the crew with no choice but to eject as the aircraft became uncontrollable at low altitude.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Afterburning Turbofan Engines
The Su-34 is powered by two engines; the ignition of one engine during takeoff was cited by the Ministry of Defence as the initiating event of the crash.
K-36DM Ejection Seats
The zero-zero capable ejection system allowed both crew members to escape the aircraft at low altitude before impact.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Sukhoi Su-34 fighter-bomber with registration RF-81726, tactical number 20 Red, and MSN 416066##08#03.
- 02Both pilots successfully ejected and survived the accident.
- 03All 15 fatalities were residents of the apartment building on the ground.
- 04The fire caused a collapse of floors five through nine in one section of the building.
- 05The crash occurred approximately 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border city of Mariupol.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the wikipedia geotag.