Lack of fuel caused MiG-29 fighter jet crash last year

The main reason behind last year's MiG-29 jet fighter crash was a lack of fuel, with the investigative committee establishing a total of 13 contributing factors that led to the incident, said Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad (OLaNO). He emphasised that it was not the technical state of the aircraft nor the display of any incompetence on the part of the pilot that caused the crash. The accident occurred during a training flight. On September 28, last year, two MiG-29 jets operated by experienced pilots took off from the Sliac Airport. Due to the rapid rise of fog, the pilots were instructed to return back to the airport. One jet managed to land on its second attempt, but the pilot of the other jet could not follow suit because "he wasn't in visual contact with the ground" and asked for a landing clearance in Bratislava, instead. A few minutes later the jet signalled a critical shortage of fuel and the pilot ejected. The plane crashed near a village. The damage worth €38 million is set to be paid by the state. A set of 22 measures have been approved to prevent similar accidents from reoccurring in the future.