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

Government resumes talks with unions and employers after freezing the 2026 budget

'The dialogue between employers and trade unions has been restored. Consultations will begin tomorrow at the Ministry of Finance to iron out all the details. The state is committed to supporting every Bulgarian citizen.' This was written by GERB leader..

published on 11/27/25 2:55 PM

NSI: Bulgarians' international travel increased 15% last year

Bulgarian citizens traveled abroad 829,300 times in October, which is 15% more than in October 2024 , according to the National Statistical Institute. The most popular destinations were Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Romania, Germany, North Macedonia,..

published on 11/27/25 2:39 PM

State-owned enterprises to combat corruption through an integrity officer

The National Assembly has introduced a new requirement for state-owned enterprises to implement corruption risk management systems, which will also include appointing an integrity officer. The measure is recommended by the Organisation for Economic..

published on 11/27/25 1:30 PM