The crash of the Beriev-200 in Turkey has caused shock, while 8 passengers were killed. Among the dead was the Russian governor, Yevgeny Kuznetsov, who was an ether legend for Russia.
More specifically, Kuznetsov was the top pilot of the Beriev-200 in the Arctic. The Beriev-200 amphibious aircraft crashed in Turkey’s southern province of Mara on Saturday. The plane was carrying five Russian soldiers and three Turkish officials when it crashed on a mountain slope.
Both Turkish and Russian media reported that the plane was under the command of Yevgeny Kuznetsov, a veteran pilot who served for decades in the country’s air force.
Film producer Natalia Gugueva, who directed a documentary about Russian military pilots based on Kuznetsov’s life, has confirmed his death on social media, citing sources close to the pilot’s family.
Kuznetsov had recently flown Beriev-200 aircraft into the Russian Arctic. Last spring it landed in Franz Josef Land, the northernmost piece of land in the world.
The dead pilots will be honored
As part of its mission to expand its presence in the Arctic, Moscow plans to upgrade an airport outside Murmansk. A fleet of Beriev-200 aircraft is expected to be developed there. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the accident, ordering the Ministry of Defense to award posthumous medals to the dead Russian servicemen.
See the pilot – legend:
