Low Altitude Before Ascent Likely Cause of L-39 Crash, Initial Data Shows

The black box from the crashed L-39 "Albatros" has been successfully read, with the data sent to the aircraft’s manufacturer in the Czech Republic for analysis. Initial findings suggest that the likely cause of the crash was a flight at an extremely low altitude prior to a vertical ascent, as reported by BNT.

The crash involved two Bulgarian pilots, Major Petko Dimitrov and Senior Lieutenant Ventsislav Dunkin, who were performing a complex aerial maneuver. The incident took place on September 13 at the "Graf Ignatievo" airbase in Bulgaria during preparations for an air show marking 20 years of the country’s NATO membership.

Aviation engineer Nedislav Veselinov explained to bTV that low altitudes during maneuvers are not uncommon in demonstration flights, as they enhance visibility for the audience. He highlighted that the plane was in a steep descent for seven seconds, with no apparent attempt to correct its trajectory, ultimately leading to the crash.

The full report and the black box data will be handed over to a team of investigators and prosecutors for further review. According to experts, the failure to recover from the dive in time was the critical factor in the accident.