A plane crashed near the village of Lesnovo, municipality of Elin Pelin, informs BTV. The incident happened around 1:30 p.m.
According to initial information, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The 33-year-old pilot died on the spot.
An on-site inspection is carried out. The reasons for the incident are being clarified.
No residential structures were affected in the accident.
The crashed plane is a single seater and is used for aerobatic figures in the air.
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Acting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Hristo Alexiev ordered an immediate investigation into the case. The accident happened with a small E200 type plane, 3 km south of Lesnovo airport. The National Board for the Investigation of Accidents in Air, Water and Rail Transport has also been referred, the Ministry of Transport announced.
Deputy Minister Nikolay Naydenov and the chairman of the National Board for the Investigation of Accidents in Air, Water and Railway Transport Hristo Hristov are traveling to the place. Later, a media briefing was held there.
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BNR informs that the dead pilot was very experienced. He has been a pilot since 2011 and has been operating legally. The flight documents were in order. The investigation into the cause of the accident continues, with a team from the police and the National Air, Water and Rail Accident Investigation Board on the scene. Several versions are being worked on.
The accident happened at 1:30 p.m., shortly after takeoff, south of Lesnovo Airport, and the plane fell into a field. The flight was carried out with a technically sound aircraft with the appropriate registration. All versions will be investigated, assured the Deputy Minister of Transport Nikolay Naydenov. According to him, the flight was a training one.
“There is a recording of the flight. It will be given to the investigating authorities and hopefully they will quickly get to the cause of this incident. He is an experienced pilot, he has all the licences. Rather, he had no experience in the acrobatic figures he performed“, Naydenov pointed out. The pilot’s practice and today’s flight are two different activities in aviation. Performing acrobatic figures is a strictly specific activity, the Deputy Minister of Transport also said. He specified that the people from the pilot’s team were very close and immediately have responded to the scene of the accident, which unfortunately ended fatally. At the moment, the only thing that is known is that there is an unfortunate combination of circumstances, said Nikolay Naydenov.
According to bTV, an emergency team went from Elin Pelin to the scene immediately after the incident was reported. After their arrival, the team found the death of the pilot Georgi Vlaikov – an instructor with many years of experience. The aircraft was technically fit and with all the necessary documents. The pilot was without a helmet during the flight.
The death of the pilot was caused by violation of rules and carelessness, announced the district prosecutor of Sofia Natalia Nikolova, quoted by BNR. She specified that the flight was a demonstration of acrobatic performances at low altitude, which are permitted by law. At 1:24 p.m., the pilot received permission to take off, and a few minutes later the accident was reported. The plane landed flat on its bottom. The flight recording has been included in the investigation but has not yet been viewed.
“In violation of rules, due to carelessness, the death of a 33-year-old man, who we believe was flying the aircraft. The aircraft is a sport, two-seater, brand Extra 200 (EA-200). At this stage, let the experts finish and then we will clarify the rules. Please note that an investigation of the accident scene is currently underway, in the presence of experts from the National Aviation Accident Investigation Board. And at the moment they are inspecting the plane itself and, accordingly, its parameters,” she said.
“Wellbottom of the probable causes: there is one figure – “drill” is said when the plane falls into a drill and becomes uncontrollable. This is when losing speed. And it’s most likely that, I say – most likely, but I can’t be convinced until we do all the research,” commented Hristo Hristov by the National Air, Water and Rail Accident Investigation Board, again quoted by Radio National.
