Mystery deepens over Su-30MKI that crashed

[TimeTraveller]

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Sukhoi-30 MKI that crashed on
October 14 near Pune, leading to the grounding of 200 Russian-origin
fighter jets, stopped recording pilot communications minutes before the
crash, said a top government official familiar with the investigation.

The glitch has further deepened the mystery surrounding the crash, the
fifth accident involving a Su-30 during the last five years. The
official said there was no record of conversations in the cockpit at
least five minutes before the crash as the tape had run out.

The development is significant as the pilots of the fighter plane had
reported an unprecedented “automatic seat ejection” without their
command, but the Russian specialists assisting the probe have ruled out
the freak ejection theory.

IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Simranpal Singh Birdi said the air force
had received some inputs from Russian experts but refused to comment on
the CVR data or the ejection controversy, saying a probe was still on.

HT was the first to report on October 22 that the IAF had grounded its
entire Su-30 fleet after the pilots reported a freak ejection where
seats fired on their own. The planes, which represent a third of India’s
fighter fleet, are still grounded for safety checks on ejection seats.

CVR data plays a vital role in reconstructing the events leading to a
crash. The Su-30 that crashed on October 14 was one of the 50 fighter
jets imported directly from Russia in flyaway condition. Recent crashes
have raised serious questions about the flight safety of one of the most
advanced and relatively new fighters in the Indian fleet. The first
variants of the plane were inducted in late 1990s.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited assembles and repairs the fighters in India.

The IAF’s Su-30 planes are grappling with problems concerning repair and
overhaul, mid-air engine failures and malfunctioning of mission
computers and cockpit displays. Each fighter costs over Rs. 200 crore.
The IAF has lost over 35 planes and choppers to crashes during the last
three years.

Source : Mystery deepens over Su-30MKI that crashed | idrw.org

 

[trident2010]

Need to pinpoint the problem and rectify it. These are complex machines and some mishaps are expected.

 

[C130]

how does the ejection system work on the MKI? don't you have pull on a handle or something for it work??? is it even hooked up to the electrical systems???

 

[Donatello]

Well, if the crash was imminent (Too fast sink rate) then computer will automatically eject the pilots when at a certain, low distance from the ground. However, the question is, if the pilots were deliberately doing low altitude maneuver then they should have turned the feature off and/or why the plane was so low, if not intentional?

Should contact CID for this Mystery.

ACP will solve it in 45 mins.

 

[axisofevil]

The IAF’s Su-30 planes are grappling with problems concerning repair and
overhaul, mid-air engine failures and malfunctioning of mission
computers and cockpit displays. Each fighter costs over Rs. 200 crore.
The IAF has lost over 35 planes and choppers to crashes during the last
three years.

Russian Junk!



I wonder if a cyber warfare is remotely possible?

 

[GR!FF!N]

how does the ejection system work on the MKI? don't you have pull on a handle or something for it work??? is it even hooked up to the electrical systems???

as far as I know,there is no way Russian K-36DM can eject pilot automatically.but as IAF reports,in few instants,it appeared that it ejected automatically or it may be the case that somehow pilots ejecting them accidentally.there was case of faulty switches which crashed a couple SU-30 before.K-36 DM is very reliable Ejection Seat as far as I know.

 

[Shinigami]

The Su-30 that crashed on October 14 was one of the 50 fighter
jets imported directly from Russia in flyaway condition

so it must have been about 20 years old?

 

[NKVD]

so it must have been about 20 years old?

Yeah guess so
@sancho

 

[sancho]

The IAF has lost over 35 planes and choppers to crashes during the last
three years.

Russian Junk!

Including US C130s, French Mirage 2000s, Anglo/French Jags, French Eurocopter helicopters, not to mention that the rate is reducing and that pilot errors can't be blamed on the manufacturer, but simply happens because you can't delete the human factor.

 

[Donatello]

Including US C130s, French Mirage 2000s, Anglo/French Jags, French Eurocopter helicopters, not to mention that the rate is reducing and that pilot errors can't be blamed on the manufacturer, but simply happens because you can't delete the human factor.

Damn, so it is a system wide problem then?

 

[sancho]

so it must have been about 20 years old?

No 10 years, it was the last MKI that was delivered from Russia in 2004. The oldest Su 30 we actually have in service today is from 2002.

 

[nomi007]

as in many indian films
like youngistan and rang de basanti
they highlight corruption issue in purchasing spare parts for jet fighters

 

[sancho]

Damn, so it is a system wide problem then?

As I said, accidents happens, no matter if in IAF, PAF, or any western air force. What's important is, that the rate is reducing and that the rate of crashes caused by technical problems in going down too, which shows the improving quality of the fleet, based on new additions or upgrades.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Damn, so it is a system wide problem then?

Nope, in 2012 (the last time records were available) the IAF recorded 0.22 crashes for every 10,000 flight hours- a crash rate comparable with any modern AF in the world. A large AF like the IAF is always going to have a relatively large number of crashes just by that virtue alone but it doesn't mean the IAF is in anyway more risk prone than anyone else- this is a myth the IAF has dispelled again and again.

 

[Donatello]

Nope, in 2012 (the last time records were available) the IAF recorded 0.22 crashes for every 10,000 flight hours- a crash rate comparable with any modern AF in the world. A large AF like the IAF is always going to have a relatively large number of crashes just by that virtue alone but it doesn't mean the IAF is in anyway more risk prone than anyone else- this is a myth the IAF has dispelled again and again.

Okay, what about b/w 2012 and now?