A Russian Tu-95MS Strategic Bomber Crashes

According to a report from Reference News Network on October 2, the Russian newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" reported on September 29 that a Tu-95MS strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in Amur Oblast on the 29th. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 6 crew members were killed and 1 was injured.

It is reported that the bomber was not carrying any munitions during the flight. The Tu-95MS can carry 6 Kh-101 or Kh-102 (with nuclear warheads) cruise missiles.

Witnesses stated that the aircraft crashed during takeoff from the Ukrainian Air Force base in Amur Oblast. Preliminary data indicates that the cause of the accident was an engine failure. The aircraft is equipped with 4 turboprop engines. If one engine fails during flight, the aircraft can still rely on the remaining three to continue flying. However, during the takeoff phase, even a single engine failure can lead to a disaster. Insufficient thrust can cause the aircraft to rapidly lose altitude.

Reports indicate that the Tu-95MS strategic bomber that crashed on the 29th failed to reach the necessary altitude for the crew to escape.

The Tu-95MS is not equipped with ejection seats for the crew and uses a different emergency exit system. The escape hatch of the sealed cockpit is located within the front landing gear compartment. The cockpit floor is designed as a conveyor belt, equipped with grips to transport the pilot's seat to the emergency hatch. This system operates on the condition that the front landing gear is lowered.

Even if the crew attempted to escape through the hatch, the pilot did not have sufficient altitude to deploy a parachute. The Tu-95MS strategic bomber takes off at a speed of approximately 260 to 280 kilometers per hour, with the exact value affected by flight weight, center of gravity, and weather conditions.

The tail gunner then "followed the old method," exiting through the hatch beneath the aircraft.

According to incomplete statistics, during its service, various models of the Tu-95 and the naval aviation Tu-142 developed based on it have cumulatively crashed 31 times, resulting in the deaths of 208 crew members.

In 2015, there were two Tu-95MS crash incidents: one in June near the Ukrainian Air Force base and another in July near Khabarovsk, with each incident resulting in the deaths of two crew members. (Translated by Wei Lianglei)