What was the cause of F-16 crash in Ukraine?

The Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the death of Ukraine's first F-16 pilot Oleksiy Mes. Ukrainian officials also confirmed the destruction of the first American fighter aircraft According to Ukraine, the colonel fought his last battle in the sky repelling a Russian missile attack.

Photo: defense.gov by Грег Л. Дэвис, PDM

It was earlier reported that one of Ukraine's six F-16 fighter jets was destroyed in a Russian missile strike on August 26. It was later revealed, however, that it was the Armed Forces of Ukraine that shot down the US-made fighter jet.

According to Ukrainian MP Maryana Bezuhla, the first American F-16, which was transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was shot down by an American Patriot missile.

The incident happened due to the lack of coordination between units. It is believed that the missile hit the aircraft from above, from the side of the pilot's cockpit. He was therefore unable to eject.

Ukraine Air force commander cracks down on MP

The Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykola Oleshchuk responded to the comment from Verkhovna Rada deputy Maryana Bezuhla, who revealed the reason for the crash of the F-16 fighter jet that Kiev had received from the West.

“I am addressing the people's deputy, who has long sold her name to achieve these vile goals. Maryana, time will come and you will ask forgiveness in front of the entire army for what you have done, I hope, in court! Once again, not only have you dragged me personally and the Air Force through the mud, but you have also discredited the manufacturers of the American weapon,” Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine lies about F-16 crash

Oleksiy Mes was one of the few Ukrainian pilots who was trained to fly the F-16. Ukraine has not released an official comment about the causes of the crash.

The Ukrainian Air Force command reported that Oleksiy Mes "destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack drone while repelling Russia's massive missile and air strike." The pilot "saved Ukrainians from deadly Russian missiles…at the cost of his own life," the command said.

However, an anonymous source at the Ukrainian Air Force said that the command was considering different versions of the incident including "friendly fire" from Ukrainian air defenses, a technical malfunction, and piloting error.

At the same time, a US Defense Department spokesman told Reuters that it was not the Russian attack that caused the F-16 to crash. The cause of the crash is yet to be established, the official told Reuters.

Kyiv received six F-16 fighter jets. A group of Ukrainian pilots began training in the United States last fall, CNN said. Pilot training normally takes a year. The Ukrainians trained for six months because of the ongoing fighting.