Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Investigators into the fatal crash in which 2 military pilots were killed:

Seven seconds of communication missing between tower and the L-39 ZA aircraft

Photo: MoD

Right before the two military pilots training for an air show crashed their plane in the critical seven seconds of the flight there was no communication between the tower and the plane. This is shown by the recordings of the conversations between the Flight control and the crew, BNT reported.


Major Petko Dimitrov and 1st Lieutenant Ventsislav Dunkin were killed on September 13 this year when their L-39 ZA aircraft crashed during training for an air show to mark the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to NATO.


The report by the Military Police and the Ministry of Defence has been handed over to the Military District Prosecutor's Office in Plovdiv. An aviation-technical forensic examination is to be appointed to establish the correctness of the actions of the flight participants both in the plane and on the ground.
When asked who should have made the decision to abort the manoeuvre, Hristo Anchev replied: "The flight operations director has the authority to abort the maneuver if he decides that it should not be continued, that it is extremely dangerous."
Work on the report will begin next week and will include a detailed examination of the wreckage of the crashed aircraft and the testimony of more than 30 witnesses who have been interviewed.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Military convoys will pass through the country to take part in large-scale NATO exercise

Starting today until Tuesday, military convoys will move through the country to participate in NATO’s Steadfast Dart 2025 exercise on the territory of Romania. The alliance is expected to deploy 10,000 soldiers on its eastern flank..

published on 1/12/25 11:09 AM

Sofia Municipality provides “Big Brother/Sister” to children in social institutions

A program of the Sofia Municipality called “Big Brother/Sister” will provide support, friendship and inspiration to children in family-type accommodation centers, the municipal administration announced. “With a little..

published on 1/12/25 9:55 AM

Snow and lower temperatures expected on Sunday

On Saturday night, the weather situation in the country will deteriorate. There will be snowfall in Southern Bulgaria, the Pre-Balkans and the Ludogorie region. Significant precipitation is expected in Southwestern Bulgaria and the southern slopes of..

published on 1/11/25 5:20 PM