• U.S. F/A-18 Hornet Fighter Jet
On December 8th 2008, the United States F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet crashed in a densely populated San Diego while preparing to land at a MCAS Miramar Marine base, destroying three houses and killing four people (two women and two young children) on the ground. However, the pilot Lt. Neubauer ejected safely, landing in a tree.
On Monday, Lt. Neubauer took off F/A-18 Hornet from the carrier at 11:11 am for conduction day and night qualifications, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln offshore 60 miles southwest of San Diego. Later, he reported an oil caution light for the right engine and tried to shut it down. He was first directed to Naval Air Station North Island, but was redirected to a Marine base that is about 50 miles away from North Island by the superior officer. The pilot attempted for arrested landing (rapidly decelerating aircraft while landing), but the second engine got failed and crashed into the residential area near the University City High School. Lt. Neubauer tried to steer away the plane from the residential area until the last possible moment, but was not successful and bailed out at a height of just 120.12 m (400 feet).
According to the investigation report of USMC (United States Marine Corps), poor maintenance caused the engine malfunction.
• Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-27
On Saturday July 27th, 2002, Sukhoi Su-27 of the Ukrainian Falcons (Aerobatic demonstration team of Ukrainian Air Force) crashed during an aerobatics presentation at Sknyliv airfield in Ukraine. 100 people were injured and 85 people were killed during that disaster. It was the world’s worst air show disaster in the aviation history.
Sukhoi Su-27 was flown by the pilot Volodymyr Toponar and co-pilot Yuriy Yegorov, two experienced pilots of Ukrainian Air Force. The plane entered a rolling tactic with a descending flight at a low height; having turned vertical once more the plane was still sliding rapidly and the left wing plunged shortly before the plane striked the ground, at this points the crew started expulsion. The plane flattened out at first, slipping over the ground near stationary plane, striking a glimpse blow against the nose of a II-76 transport plane before starting to burst and flip into the crowd of an audience. However, both pilots survived with minor injuries, landed just a few feet away from the transport aircraft.
A military court sentenced pilot to fourteen years and co-pilot to eight years in prison for violation and negligence of flight rules. Other military officials were also found guilty of failing to follow orders and were sentenced in prison by the court.
