Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi finalized a report about the crash of Su-35s, Russian newspaper Top War reported citing Russian Defense ministry sources. The initial statements confirmed that the Su-35s suffered a technical malfunction in the aircraft’s weather control systems due to a series of erroneous data from various sensors of the aircraft.
Russian Aerospace Force (VKS) reported that there was a human factor in the accident as well. The flight director made an erroneous decision, wrote the Russian Telegram channel, and presented information about incidents.
The flight director has made an early decision to order the pilot to eject, not considering the actual situation. According to the channel, the flight director mistook the shooting of false heat targets for the aircraft’s fire during its takeoff from the Dzemgi airfield.
The Su-35 is outfitted with autonomous equipment that helps turn air conditioning and power aboard with the engines switched off. For the first time since the Soviet period, Su-30 and Su-35 fighters have become comfortable for pilots; in particular, they have received heater-equipped seats, Shcheglov said.
According to the report, the environment control in Su-35 worked in an automatic mode, allegedly “catching radiation from the equipment at the airfield.” Earlier, it was reported that the pilot transferred the weather control systems to automatic mode. After sensing the heat traps, the pilot believed that the fighter caught fire, after which the information was transmitted to the cockpit. As a result, the pilot ejected, and the plane fell to the ground.
Russian Ministry of Defense didn’t disclose technical data about the Su-35 aircraft. In addition, the information about the weather control should trigger automatically when “trapping heat radiation” raises a question. The Telegram noted that the aircraft could have a faulty sensor that leads to misleading data in the cockpit.
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