A US-supplied F-16 fighter jet crashed while trying to counter a Russian attack, resulting in the death of the pilot. The aircraft, which was recently delivered to Ukraine, was engaged in combat with Russian forces when it went down. It was not struck by a missile.
The F-16 had been part of a delivery of six jets to Ukraine this month, which President Volodymyr Zelensky announced would be operational from August 4. According to a Ukrainian military spokesperson, the jet had successfully intercepted four Russian cruise missiles before losing communication and crashing.
Read more: Zelenskiy Announces Ukraine’s Deployment of US-Made F-16 Fighter Jets
The wreckage, along with the body of the pilot, Oleksii Myes, a skilled and experienced Ukrainian Air Force member, was found during the rescue operation.
The Ukrainian military clarified that the crash was not caused by a Russian attack but was likely due to a pilot error. An inquiry committee has been set up to investigate the accident’s cause.
Experts suggest that a technical fault with the newly supplied F-16s could be to blame, questioning whether such a skilled pilot would make a mistake. Social media has been flooded with images showing the jet on fire before the crash, and some eyewitnesses reported that the plane was wobbling and burning prior to impact.
There is speculation about why the pilot did not eject, with suggestions that the parachute might have failed or the aircraft’s emergency system malfunctioned. The incident has prompted calls for a thorough investigation and raised concerns on social media about the potential for faulty or outdated F-16 jets being supplied to Ukraine.
