The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has decoded the "black box" of the Su-24M that crashed in Khmelnytsky region: control system elements on the left wing failed during flight, and according to preliminary findings of an internal investigation by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the aircraft’s damage could have been caused by an external factor – a collision with a bird, the SBI said.
"According to data from the onboard flight recorder, control system elements on the left wing failed during flight. After that, the aircraft lost controllability and began rotating around its axis. It fell from a height of over 600 meters, reaching a speed of 809 km/h," the SBI said in a statement on its website on Monday.
The SBI stressed: "According to preliminary findings of an internal investigation by the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the aircraft’s damage could have been caused by an external factor – a collision with a bird."
At the same time, the agency noted, this theory still requires expert confirmation.
