MOSCOW. March 12 (Interfax-AVN) - Maj. Gen. Kanamat Botashev, who has been prosecuted for causing a fourth-generation Su-27 fighter crash on June 28, 2012, will soon stand trial in the Leningrad region.
"The criminal case, including an authorized indictment, has been forwarded to a court to be considered on its merits," Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Interfax.
Botashev has been charged with breaking flight regulations (Russian Criminal Code Article 351) and abuse of office (Article 286) and, if found guilty, may face up to 17 years of imprisonment.
The investigation has found that Botashev, who was in charge of the tactical flight training, decided, contrary to the established rules, to take part in a weather reconnaissance flight without having undergone the necessary training and without having a flight permit for a Su-27.
"During the flight, the major-general took control of the plane and started performing unplanned aerobatic maneuvers. While performing a tailslide maneuver, the fighter entered an inverted spin and started to drop because of pilot error," Markin said.
The crew failed to recover and had to eject at about 500 meters above the ground, he said.
"Crashing to the ground, the plane disintegrated and is beyond repair, causing the state material damage amounting to over 100 million rubles," Markin said.