Eyewitnesses refute government's statement that lack
of training caused crash
This past weekend ANN published a story about the
Peruvian Air Force's SU-22UM "Fitter G" two-seat training
aircraft (file photos below) which crashed last Friday,
December 17, in the vicinity of the city of Lurin, during a
practice for an air show that took place on Monday, December
20.
Since then, ANN has received information that raises
serious questions about the accuracy the government's
statements following the accident, and specifically those of 2nd
Vice President David Waisman, who told the media that lack of
training was one of the causes of the accident. While there
certainly may be an issue with funding and training of flight crews
in Peru's Air Force, it does not appear that this was the cause of
this accident.
According to eyewitnesses and residents of the area where the
aircraft went down, the flight of three SU-22's was practicing for
an air show in honor of the graduation of the Peruvian Air Force
flight school. The aircraft that crashed was the lead aircraft of a
formation of three SU-22's, and one of more than thirty aircraft in
the air at the time.
The aircraft that were to participate in the show had been
repositioned from bases around the country. Many of them had been
practicing their routines during the week, except on Thursday,
December 16, due to bad weather. Only a flight of FAP Cessna A-37's
was able to fly that day, and even then for just a few minutes.
The weather finally broke on Friday around 1430, and aircraft
began taking off to practice their flybys. The flight of three
SU-22's was the last one to take to the air. At the time of the
accident, some 30 aircraft were practicing in the airspace around
Lima, the capital of Peru. Among them were four helicopters, a
C-130 Hercules, Antonov AN-32s, Zlin and Tucano trainers, Mirage
2000's, MIG-29's, the three SU-22's. Even the presidential Boeing
737 was in the sky, along with other aircraft. The SU-22's were
circling over Lurin while waiting for their turn to strut their
stuff in the flyby sequence.
At that point the events that took place appear to diverge
from the implications of what Vice President David Waisman told the
media. According to reports from eyewitnesses, the lead SU-22UM in
the formation developed engine problems and began to
lose altitude. One of the eyewitnesses told El Siglo of Lima that
he saw "three aircraft flying over my house, one of them was
trailing smoke, the other two continued and that one went down, and
is still burning."
In actions that would be incompatible with a lack of training or
practice, the crew of the SU-22 took positive steps to fly the
aircraft away from the populated areas under them prior to
attempting to eject. Proof of this could be the fact that the rear
canopy had already been blown and was found further back along the
flight path from the main debris field.
What these facts imply is that the pilots succeeded in
preventing the loss of life on the ground by getting their aircraft
pointed in the direction of an undeveloped section of the town, and
then tried to eject, but were unable to do so in time. If that is
the case -- and so far everything we have heard seems to point in
that direction -- then the crew were not inexperienced pilots. They
were heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in an act of selfless
and very skilled piloting.
Eyewitnesses also reported that the residents of the area
quickly reached the crash site and attempted to help the crew. One
of the pilots was still alive when they reached the site, and it
appeared that he had almost ejected but didn't make it out of the
airframe. They tried to aid him, but he was trapped and,
tragically, they were unable to save his life. The other pilot's
was already dead.
Immediately after the accident, all aircraft were ordered to
return to base. The SU-22's were the last to take off, and the
remaining two were the last to land. The FAP has quickly agreed to
pay indemnization to the families of the two pilots, as well as
assist in the rebuilding of the homes destroyed by the aircraft's
debris. The accident remains under investigation.
The graduation ceremony for the cadets of the Officer School
took place as scheduled on Monday, but because of the
accident, the aerial exhibition was reduced to a single flyby by
three A-37s. In his speech to the newly commissioned officers,
President Alejandro Toledo referred to the crash, telling them that
taking constant risks and making sacrifices is an
integral part of a Peruvian Air Force pilot's life. That, he
said, was what happened to Commander San Martin -- a
personal acquaintance of his -- and Captain Perez, whom he
described as "martyrs." He urged the new lieutenants to follow
their example.
President Toledo also mentioned the recent contract agreement
between Peru and Russia for the refurbishing and updating of Air
Force assets, beginning with the transport and helicopter fleet. He
stressed that having equipment in good working order is vital to
the task of providing timely assistance to victims of natural
disasters within the country.