Time.com: Picture of the week, Su-27 airshow crash

Time.com ^ | July 27, 2002 | time.com

[mikegi]

I didn't see this posted before.

An amazing photo of the crash. It looks like the jet is moving towards the camera and maybe left. What really surprises me is the size of jet compared to the prop plane to the right. The jet is behind the plane yet it's still much larger.

[Partisan Hack]

The perspective you mention makes me think it is a fake.

[carpediem365]

It does not look to be a fake...that is how big the SU-27 is...a mammoth fighter.

[Redcloak]

No, it looks about right. Those people, most of whom probably died an instant later, were probably under the wings of the prop plane. People typically congregate in the shade under the wings of parked planes at airshows. Using them as a scale, the Su-27 looks the right size in the shot.

[SkunkPunk]

I bet they're saying, "Now why don't he write?"

[Junior]

Believe it or not, modern fighters are very large aircraft. The vaunted, and now somewhat ancient, F-14 is actually larger than most WWII bombers.

[Notforprophet]

It is a fake. In the bottom left you can see the wingline of a distant propeller aircraft (nose to the front), yet the fighter appears to be both behind the closer prop aircraft (facing away) and the distant prop aircraft (facing toward).

The distant wingline is still in front of the fighter. How could that be?

[mikegi]

No, I think the jet's wing is crunched and that makes it appear like the facing-towards propjob is in front of the jet.

[Notforprophet]

Why is the fighter's wing crunched already if it has just nosed into the ground?

[TomServo]

Because that wingtip had already scraped the ground before nosing up (a little) and going back in. It's in one of the film clips.

[fourdeuce82d]

Why is the fighter's wing crunched already if it has just nosed into the ground?

Sweetie, the plane had already impacted the ground- see if you can find the video-it shows the aircraft coming out of a loop, trying to gain altitude, impacting the ground belly first, and tipping up/over onto its' back.

ALLLLLLLLL aboard- the cluetrain is leaving the station...

[andy_card]

Why is the fighter's wing crunched already if it has just nosed into the ground?

Not sure, but it may have hit something on the way down. You don't see the damage all over the fuselage? The photo is most definitely real.

[ao98]

Here a is quote from a previous thread

They then heard a "terrible noise like something was not right with the jet." The Russian Sukhoi Su-27 had sliced it's wing on the ground while unable to pull out of a difficult roll. The plane slammed into the nose of the cargo jet James and Tanya were in, clipping off the nose and throwing debris and metal up into the air. Immediately the Su-27 burst into a ball of flames.

[Notforprophet]

You guys are probably right, I didn't see the original footage of the crash. (I was camping in Wisconsin.)

I'm no photography expert anyway. But you have to admit the picture does look unbelievable.

[Notforprophet]

ALLLLLLLLL aboard- the cluetrain is leaving the station...

You could have made your point without being an ass.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

It is a fake. In the bottom left you can see the wingline of a distant propeller aircraft (nose to the front), yet the fighter appears to be both behind the closer prop aircraft (facing away) and the distant prop aircraft (facing toward).

The distant wingline is still in front of the fighter. How could that be?

You need new glasses. The port wing on the Sukhoi, along with the smoke from both engines, is obscuring the port wing on the distant Antonov.

[Partisan Hack]

That cargo plane on the right is probably large enough to hold a tank!!! That fighter would have to be enormous indeed!

[Notforprophet]

You are correct. I didn't see the original video footage and assumed the Su-27 had impacted nose-first.

[Gil4]

It looks like the jet is moving towards the camera and maybe left.

From the video I saw I think this is the part where the plane was just starting to cartwheel - moving straight to the left of the camera. I think many of the people in this picture were probably OK. (The proportions in the photo seem to match the video, so I'm pretty sure the photo is legit)

The hardest hit areas appeared to be just before this (the plane landed fairly flat, maybe a little toward the left wing, before flipping up on its nose) and just after this (it cartwheeled, exploded, and disintigrated.) As it went past these planes it looked almost like it was sliding on its nose for a bit before it finally finished the first cartwheel.

[Partisan Hack]

According to this article, the su-27 only has a 47' wingspan. To my mind, that would mean that this photo IS a fake.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/airdef/su-27.htm