Ukraine airshow disaster

On July 27, 2002 at an airshow at Skhyliv airport near Lviv, Ukraine, 84 people were killed and over 100 injured when a Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft crashed. It is the world's worst airshow disaster to date.

The aircraft, flown by two experienced pilots, was reported to have lost power before clipping trees, at which point the pilots ejected. The plane hit a stationary aircraft and burst into flames, then slid into the crowd.

Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma[?] publicly blamed the military for the disaster and sacked the head of the air force, Volodymyr Strelnykov. The defence minister, Volodymyr Shkidchenko resigned. The Interfax news agency reported, from a Sukhoi source, that "after the Soviet Union's breakup, planes have been operated with serious technical violations in Ukraine. Given its current financial problems, Ukraine has nearly stopped buying spare parts".

		Ukraine airshow disaster
		On July 27, 2002 at an airshow at Skhyliv airport near Lviv, Ukraine, 84 people were killed and over 100 injured when a Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft crashed. It is the world's worst airshow disaster to date. The aircraft, flown by two experienced pilots, was reported to have lost power before clipping trees, at which point the pilots ejected. The plane hit a stationary aircraft and burst into flames, then slid into the crowd. Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma[?] publicly blamed the military for the disaster and sacked the head of the air force, Volodymyr Strelnykov. The defence minister, Volodymyr Shkidchenko resigned. The Interfax news agency reported, from a Sukhoi source, that "after the Soviet Union's breakup, planes have been operated with serious technical violations in Ukraine. Given its current financial problems, Ukraine has nearly stopped buying spare parts".
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