Honored pilot Popov explained the version of deliberate damage to Prigozhin’s plane

“You can do so much that you will be surprised”

The version with the intentional defeat of the work of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aircraft during its repair has the right to exist. The Honored Military Pilot of the Russian Federation, retired Major General Vladimir Popov, in an interview with MK, said that there are “innumerable numbers” of ways to intentionally damage the aircraft, according to him.

In addition, the military pilot explained that the version of the piloting error, which was dismissed in the media ahead of time, should also be considered by the investigation.

– I do not rule it out, there are enough idiots. He himself faced betrayal, and more than once. I participated in almost all military conflicts of recent years, starting with Afghanistan. Personally performed combat missions or commanded. I remember how the enemy literally hunted for the generals. And we were forced to hide our names when we flew, we were forbidden to enter military ranks and so on in the documents in order to somehow protect ourselves.

According to the interlocutor of “MK”, ​​as a rule, they betrayed not for an idea, but for money.

– When we worked in the Caucasus, we were betrayed for 2 thousand dollars. Then the traitors were found, they, of course, cried, on their knees they begged for forgiveness. Therefore, it is not for nothing that we have military counterintelligence. In wartime, it is simply necessary, no matter what anyone says.

– Vladimir Aleksandrovich, and in the case of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane, could the plane have been intentionally damaged during repairs?

– Could.

– What kind of breakdown could it be that you won’t immediately see and which would provoke the destruction of the aircraft in the air?

– I participated in the investigations of many disasters, was engaged in expert assessments, and I have a very rich experience. But if I start talking about it, someone can then use it … I will say one thing: you can do so much that you will be surprised. And you can make it so that the mosquito does not undermine the nose.

At the same time, the pilot does not exclude a banal breakdown, which was not eliminated in time and which manifested itself during the flight.

– The version of the terrorist attack, of course, has the right to exist. But, in my opinion, there may be metal fatigue: the plane still flew for 16 years. And this is not a commercial aircraft. I do not want to slander, but unlike a scheduled aircraft, this one could not be serviced so attentively. Because attentive service costs a lot of money. Flight safety, especially in civil flights, is an expensive pleasure… An emergency situation does not arise immediately, something provokes it, and the pilots may not notice it right away. The later changes in flight, engine operation, some systems or units are detected, the worse it manifests itself later. Breakdowns are harder to repair. And most importantly, this is an emergency situation, which then, as a rule, develops into a tragedy.

– What about the two claps before the plane crash that the witnesses heard?

– The pops could be related to engine surge. Surging is a mode of operation of the engine, when the plane, in simple terms, seems to choke. To be honest, I was alerted by the Flightradar24 data, which showed a sharp climb. A sharp set may indicate that there was a loss of speed, and then the pilots abruptly “stuck” the speed, which provoked a surge. It can be so strong that it breaks the blades. In military aviation, the pilot can eject, but in civil aviation – no …

At the same time, the expert drew attention to the fact that during private flights, discipline on board can be violated: the pilot, the door to the cockpit to which is open, can be tritely distracted by passengers. At the same time, despite the fact that the aircraft flies on autopilot, the participation of the pilot is still necessary. In the case of Prigogine’s jet, the pilots could simply not notice changes in the operation of the systems, pay attention to the loss of speed too late, and in a hurry take actions that ultimately turned out to be fatal for the crew and passengers.