CNN: Ukrainian famous pilot killed in a F-16 fighter jet crash
A prominent Ukrainian pilot was killed when a US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed in the first such incident, just weeks after the arrival of the fighter jets that Kiev had long demanded to confront the Russian invasion.
CNN quoted a Ukrainian military source as saying that “the Ukrainian army doesn’t believe that pilot error was the cause of the incident.”
The source added that the pilot Oleksiy Mes, known as “Moonfish,” was killed in the crash, during the repulse of the largest-ever attack launched by Russia against Ukraine last Monday.
The Ukrainian military source explained that the pilot was buried on Thursday, adding that the investigation into the incident is ongoing, and international experts will be invited to participate in it.
The Ukrainian military announced on Thursday that an F-16 fighter jet had crashed, the first loss of an aircraft of this type since the arrival of the US-made fighters in the country this month.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement, that the fighter jet crashed and its pilot was killed as it approached a target during a Russian air strike.
“The F-16s demonstrated high efficiency, and shot down four Russian cruise missiles… We lost contact with one of the pilots as it approached the next target… As it turned out later, the fighter jet crashed and the pilot was killed,” the statement said.
Regarding the crash, a US official in the Department of Defense commented that the F-16 crash didn’t appear to be as a result of Russian fire, and that the investigation is still ongoing into possible causes, such as pilot error or mechanical failure.
CNN explained that the death of the Ukrainian pilot “Moonfish” represents a severe blow to Ukraine, as he was one of the few pilots trained to use fighter jets, and one of the most prominent figures who demanded for months that Western countries obtain fighter jets for Kiev, in order to confront Russian strikes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian Air Force used F-16 fighter jets to destroy Russian missiles and drones launched by Moscow on Monday, in the first official confirmation of the use of fighter jets in combat.
