The moment a fighter jet turned into fire inferno at world’s deadliest air show

The deadliest ever air show disaster happened on Europe’s doorstep in Ukraine.

Air shows such as Farnborough are meant to be a highlight for those who attend.

But the atmosphere at air shows can change in a split second when powerful engines and humans come together.

The Sknyliv air show disaster near Lviv, Ukraine, in 2002 is a sad reminder of this.

More than 10,000 people had gathered to enjoy the display at Sknyliv Airfield on July 27 held in honour of the 60th anniversary of the Ukrainian Air Force’s 14th Air Corps.

The seconds before the fighter jet crashed were captured on video (Picture: NTV/EPA)

But everything went horribly wrong, leaving 77 people dead and 543 injured.

Fighter jet crushed spectators

Spectators were entertained by experienced pilots and planes, including the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft which prepared to perform hair-raising rolling acrobatics mid air – a typical stunt at air shows.

Just before 1pm, the fighter jet’s pilots entered the rolling movement at low altitude.

The jet was at a fast descend when its left wing dropped suddenly and the plane hit the ground with disastrous consequences.

The pilot Volodymyr Toponar and co-pilot Yuriy Yegorov managed to eject themselves after they realised things had gone horribly wrong, surviving with only minor injuries.

A huge ball of fire engulfs the airdrome and spectators as an Su-27 fighter plane hits the ground (Picture: Yuri Rura/AP)

After the pilots ejected themselves, the wings clipped a tree top, the BBC reported at the time.

However, the jet did not stop moving once it hit the ground – it continued rolling on before gracing the nose of an Ilyyshin Il-76MD transport aircraft and hitting people.

It then cartwheeled before exploding into a horrific fireball which hurled into the shocked audience who didn’t have much hope of escaping.

Families faced an agonising wait to hear what happened to their loved ones at hospitals.

Svetlana Atamaniuk told Associated Press she lost her daughter and granddaughters as she waited outside an overcrowded morgue.

Shocked spectators watched on as the Russian-made jet exploded into a fireball just metres away (Picture: NTV/EPA)

She said: ‘My only daughter, her husband and their two daughters are lying in there.’

The day was declared a national day of mourning as officials tried to recover and identify victims at Sknyliv.

They said identifying the victims was ‘extremely difficult’ as many bodies were ripped apart by metal shards on the jet, the BBC reported.

Blame-game for the disaster

The crash killed 77 and hundreds of injured were rushed to a hospital.

When the dust had settled, the pilots were taken to a military tribunal, Simple Flying reports.

A young injured spectator is comforted by a rescue worker in the aftermath of Sknyliv (Picture: Unian Photo/EPA)

At the tribunal, the men claimed the map of the airfield they were given was different from the actual layout.

They also alleged that they were denied a request for an extra rehearsal flight before the show in their defence.

The prosecution claimed the pilots had tried a complicated maneuver they had not done before, and that they didn’t react quickly enough to flight monitor warnings. Spectators were let too close to the flight line and the flying zone was also too small, the investigation found.

The blame-game reached the highest echelons of Ukrainian society after the then President Leonid Kuchma publicly blamed the military.

Firefighters hose the smouldering remains of the Su-27 military jet (Picture: Unian Photo/EPA)

He went on to sack the head of air force General Viktor Strelnykov, the outlet reports.

Three years after the tragedy, Mr Toponar and Yegorov were sentenced at a military court to 14 and eight years in prison respectively, although Yegorov was released in 2008 after his sentence was reduced by the President.

Three other military personnel were also sentenced after being found guilty of negligence and failing to follow orders.

Pilot Toponar insisted the crash was caused by technical problems and a faulty flight plan.

Shoreham Airshow crash in 2015

There have been other deadly air show crashes since – including in the UK – despite improvements to safety.

The devastating Shoreham disaster killed 11 people and injured 13 others at the display in Sussex on August 22 nine years ago.

Eyewitnesses told how a ‘massive fireball’ wreaked havoc, with one survivor describing the scene as something out of a Hollywood movie.

Following the disaster, the UK Civil Aviation Authority carried out a review of civil air display regulations which recommended several changes such as better public safety.

The CAA said that air displays are Britain’s ‘second largest outdoor public event attraction.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.