The father of the sole survivor of the An-26 crash himself survived three plane crashes. On Saturday, September 26, he himself told about this to the Ukrainian newspaper Segodnya.
“I fell three times. The fact that the son survived means that he is the son of his father, ”said Vitaly Zolochevsky.
The man also added that his son Vyacheslav received only bruises as a result of the crash.
“Everyone says he jumped out of the plane, but that’s not entirely true. He was thrown out, pushed out of there. I also know that he tried to save his friend, ”he explained.
The An-26 plane crashed near the town of Chuguev in the Kharkov region the night before. It is known that there were 27 people on board the aircraft, including seven crew members and 20 cadets of the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University. Killed 26 people, among them the son of the deputy of the City Council of Nikolaev from the party “Opposition Platform – For Life” Vadim Olabin. Another person on board the plane is now in the hospital.
A criminal case has been initiated into the incident. The State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine is considering four versions of the reasons for the plane’s crash, including a technical malfunction, improper performance of duties by the crew, improper maintenance of the aircraft and its preparation for flight, and improper performance of official duties by those responsible for flight control.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky instructed to suspend any flights on An-26 planes until the reasons for what happened. He also flew to the Kharkov region, where he visited the cadet Vyacheslav Zolochevsky, who survived the plane crash, in the hospital. The young man’s condition is assessed as satisfactory.
In addition, Zelenskiy declared September 26 a day of mourning in Ukraine for those killed in the plane crash.