One of the Russian dictator’s £260million jets disappeared and a £30million bomber jet was set on fire after Ukrainian forces shot them out of the sky above the Azov Sea.
They were blasted out of the air in one of Moscow’s worst days for its air force since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
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Plumes of smoke could be seen from a distanceCredit: East2West
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Putin’s prized SU-34 is estimated to cost £40millionCredit: East2West
A WEALTHY Russian couple are feared dead after a jet slammed into a mountain in Afghanistan.
The wife of millionaire entrepreneur Anatoly Evsyukov had become seriously ill on a luxury holiday in Thailand and was being flown back to Russia for treatment on the chartered aircraft.
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Russian millionaire Anatoly Evsyukov is believed to be one of the victims of the fatal airplane crash in AfghanistanCredit: East2West
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He was accompanied by his wife Anna Evsyukova, who fell ill whilst on Holiday in ThailandCredit: East2West
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The suspected site of Falcon plane crash in Afghanistan that left six deadCredit: East2West
Evsyukov had been decorated by Vladimir Putin’s regional governor for “valiant” work building the economy in Rostov region.
He accompanied his wife Anna Evsyukova on the flight after she developed a mystery infection and needed ventilator treatment.
Evsyukov chartered a medical evacuation plane to move her from a hospital in Pattaya to fly back to Moscow.
The plane left Thailand on Saturday and refuelled in India.
“Over Afghanistan, the pilots reported problems with the engines and fuel,” said Shot media in Russia.
“The plane crashed into the mountains [in Afghanistan].”
Their son Vitali, 41, was not permitted on the small executive air ambulance as only one accompanying passenger was allowed.
He flew on a scheduled flight to Moscow, learning of the horrific crash after he landed.
Another victim, Arkady Grachev, was reported to be the ex-husband of Ekaterina Agapova, the head of the company which owned the plane.
The couple shared a child and were business partners.
The Falcon 10 plane registered in Russia crashed into the mountains in Afghanistan, said reports on Sunday.
Russian state and independent media highlighted footage purporting to show the crash site.
Two Russian passengers – one male, one female – were aboard the plane, along with four crew members, it was reported.
It is feared that all six have been killed.
The aircraft is believed to have been operating as an air ambulance, it is believed.
Two of the crew were paramedics.
Those on board were named by AviaSpotter Telegram channel as Anatoly Evsyukov and Anna Evsyukova, along with the crew named as Dmitry Belyakov, Arkady Grachev, Igor Syvorotkin and Pavel Popov.
One version said the crew had alerted air traffic control that they were running low on fuel and both engines subsequently failed.
The aircraft is registered in Russia, according to the country’s Federal Air Transport Agency.
It was said to belong to ATLETIK-GRUPP LLC, based in Lyubertsy, Moscow region, and a private individual.
It crashed in the mountainous Badakhshan province in northeastern Afghanistan.
Shot media in Russia said the plane reported a fuel problem at 7.05pm local time on Saturday and was seeking to land in Tajikistan on an unscheduled stop.
One engine failed at 7.19pm and the other ten minutes later.
The plane disappeared from radar at about 7.30pm local time, 35 miles from Kulob airport in Tajikistan.
The plane was operating a charter ambulance flight on the route Gaya (India) – Tashkent (Uzbekistan) – Zhukovsky (Moscow, Russia), according to the owning company.
The head of the firm Ekaterina Agapova said: “Nothing is known yet, now I’m trying to understand the situation and understand what happened. There is no confirmed data yet.”
The footage purportedly shows smoke rising from the site at least 12 hours after the crash, which would have been in darkness.
This has caused multiple emergency landings due to lack of spare parts and maintenance involving Western suppliers.
However it is unclear that the sanctions would have been imposed on an air ambulance.
This is reported to be the ninth incident with a Russian plane since the beginning of the year and the eighth to occur during a flight in the last nine days.
India’s civil aviation authority said that the plane crash was not a scheduled commercial flight or an Indian chartered aircraft and that “more details are awaited.”
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The Falcon 10 air ambulance jet was reportedly ‘running out of fuel’Credit: East2West
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Anatoly Evsyukov (right) with son Vitali, 41, who was not allowed on the stricken jetCredit: East2West
TWO of Vladimir Putin’s most crucial warplanes worth £290million have been shot down in the most recent blow to the despot’s failing war in Ukraine.
One of the Russian dictator’s £260million spy planes disappeared and a vital bomber jet was set on fire after Ukrainian forces shot them out of the sky above the Azov Sea.
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Putin’s IL-22M command plane – one of two key aircraft hit on Sunday
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A £260m Russian A-50 spy plane (pictured) disappeared after the hit on SundayCredit: EAST2WEST
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The Sunday attack came on the one-year anniversary of the Dnipro bombings in Ukraine which left over 45 deadCredit: AP
They were blasted out of the air in one of Moscow’s worst days for its air force since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
The IL-22M bomber, worth around £28million, just managed to make its way back to Anapa airport on fire after being hit, with a number of casualties.
But the £260million A-50 spy plane disappeared soon after going on patrol near Zaporizhzhia at 9:10pm on Sunday.
For now it is unclear if the aircraft were definitely hit by Ukrainian missiles possibly using a new NATO “miracle weapon” – or in a friendly fire ambush by the Russians.
After the IL-22M command plane was hit, air traffic control at Russian Anapa airport heard: “It’s been hit, landing in Anapa.
“Urgently need an ambulance and fire engine.”
At least one senior Russian war commander was likely on board at the time.
Russian Telegram channel Colonelcassad admitted there had been casualties on the aircraft.
Ukraine initially claimed to have downed the planes close to Putin’s beloved £3million Crimean Bridge.
But it was reported that the command plane was shot over Strilkove, Kherson, miles away from the key bridge.
Reports say the planes have been flying the same routes for months.
The spy plane, now missing, recently underwent a £3million modernisation and refit.
It is a key Soviet-era aircraft which uses radar to detect missiles and enemy planes.
Ukraine’s RBK outlet reported Ukrainian Air Force General Mykola Oleshchuk as saying: “This is for Dnipro! Burn in hell, you inhumans! PS No details yet”.
“It is finally clear that the Russian IL-22 in the Sea of Azov area was hit by the Russian air defence that defended the Crimean Bridge,” stated the VChK OGPU Telegram channel, which has links to the security services.
“When the plane was hit, the bridge had an alarm, and traffic was blocked.
“The pilot was able to land the plane, and at least two people were injured.”
Russian Telegram channel Military Informant also said: “The damaged IL-22 reached the airfield and landed, as evidenced by leaked intercepted conversations on an open frequency, but with the A-50, apparently, everything is much sadder.
“If the loss of the aircraft is confirmed, it will be a huge setback for domestic aviation since there are only a few such AWACS aircraft in service and are constantly in short supply at the front.”
The channel described the aircraft hits as “another dark day for the Russian air forces”.
The loss of the AWACS plane was “approximately equal to [the demise of] an aircraft carrier”.
The same channel discussed unnamed “miracle weapons” provided by NATO and Pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergey Markov also speculated on “use of a new type of weapon by the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.
Russian Telegram channel FlightBomber – with close military contacts – today appeared to admit the catastrophic blow.
“Tragedy is always tragedy. Especially when it’s on this scale,” said a post.
“Who is to blame for the deaths of the pilots, we probably won’t know.”
The channel called for the Russian Defence Ministry – which did not initially comment on the Air Force blow – to come clean about what happened.
Russia has suffered repeated losses from friendly fire, indicating faulty weaponry as well as poor command and control.
Pro-war military channel Rybar admitted the possibility of friendly fire.
“Sadly there were enough similar cases during the past two years, and there is no sign of improvement,” reported the channel.
Ukrainian channel Crimean Wind reported: “As we are informed, a Russian A-50 AWACS aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov near Berdyansk and an IL-22 was shot down.…
“The IL-22, falling, pulled towards Kerch – that is why the bridge was closed.”
The channel said that all ships in the vicinity of the Crimeans Bridge had their transponders turned off today.
Initially, Ukrainian sources had claimed responsibility for the attack – despite the Sea of Azov being hard to reach.
Senior politician Yuri Mysyagin said: “At about 21:00, Ukrainian units fired at two aircraft of the Russian Air Force, namely an A-50 AWACS aircraft and an IL-22, located over the Sea of Azov.
“The A-50 was shot down, and the IL-22 was shot down, but was in the air and trying to get to the nearest airfield, but disappeared from the radar, after the descent began, in the Kerch area.”
Commanders have been careful not to use the intelligence-gathering planes too close to the active war zone.
According to reports Russia had just nine of the A50 planes in service and 30 IL-22Ms.
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A Russian IL-22 command and control spy planeCredit: EAST2WEST
THE parents of a honeymoon Brit who died in a helicopter crash said he would have survived if it wasn’t for the “milk bottle” fuel tank.
Jonathan Udall was burned on 90 per cent of his body when the “flying bomb” spun out of control and caught fire after hitting rocks in the Grand Canyon.
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Jonathan’s parents believe he would have survived the crash if it wasn’t for the ‘milk bottle’ fuel tankCredit: pixel8000
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Jonathan’s father, Philip Udall, likened the helicopter to a ‘flying bomb’Credit: Sky News
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A 2021 report concluded strong tailwinds likely caused the 2018 crashCredit: AP
The 31-year-old, from Southampton, died after 12 days in hospital as a result of his burns, before new wife Ellie, 29, passed away a few days later.
Philip and Marlene Udall were awarded £78million in damages on Wednesday after suing for their son’s wrongful death.
A judge in Nevada ruled they should get £59million from France’s Airbus Helicopters SAS and £19million from operator Papillon Airways.
But Mr Udall’s parents are adamant that their son could have survived if it was not for the post-crash fire – caused by the helicopter’s fuel tank that they claim was prone to rupturing.
Speaking to Sky News, Philip Udall said: “There’s an issue with fuel tanks and helicopters in America – there’s a loophole in the law that allows helicopters to fly without a crash resistant fuel system.
“In other words, it’s basically a ‘flying bomb’ – those are our lawyer’s words.
“It’s a plastic container about as good as a milk bottle that you’ve got the fuel in.
“When the helicopter goes down, it just fractures and the fuel is out.”
Mr Udall adds that the issue with fuel tanks has been going on since 1994.
Alongside his wife, he aimed to highlight this during their legal battle.
The Udalls’ lawyer, Gary C Robb, said: “The family wanted to shine a spotlight on this . . . too many helicopters have this very unsafe, flimsy fuel tank.”
Mr Robb said the hard-plastic tanks were prone to rupture in hard landings, adding: “The fuel pours on to the passengers, then ignites. It’s just horrible.”
A 2021 report concluded strong tailwinds likely caused the crash.
Three of Jonathan’s pals were riding in the helicopter and also lost their lives as a result of the crash.
Becky Dobson, 27, Stuart Hill, 30, and Jason Hill, 32, all of West Sussex, died at the scene in 2018.
Pilot Scott Booth lost both legs. Jennifer Barham also survived.
Stunned passengers described seeing a large section of the plane blown out mid-air with dramatic pictures of the aftermath showing a gaping hole in its side.
One passenger told Fox News affiliate KPTV that a child had to be held in his seat by his mom as people lost their phones, which were sucked out of the plane.
“That was followed instantaneously by a rapid depressurisation of the cabin that consisted of moisture and fluid – almost like a cloud rushing from the front of the plane to the back,” he told SkyNews.
The flight attendants were quick to respond, shouting “get your masks on” through the intercom system and instructing the passengers to fasten their seatbelts.
The whole catastrophic event lasted about 20-30 minutes, but felt like hours, recalled the distressed passenger.
He added: “A few people stood up on the flight and were yelling some obscenities – shouting ‘there’s an effing hole’.”
But while the plane “fluttered” and the lights “flickered”, the frightened passengers were left in the dark about the impending emergency landing.
Hoch said other people around him were “mostly calm” but the whole atmosphere on board felt “eerie”.
His hat flew off his head, while the people in front of him had their hair “pushed back”.
“When you’re in that situation there’s not really a lot you can do but hang on… there were a few people that were visibly and vocally upset,” he added.
One scared passenger revealed the text she sent to her family on board the plane after the door blew out.
Emma Vu, who escaped the incident safely along with the other passengers, shared her experience online.
“In the moment I was so scared,” she said on TikTok.
The text message sent to her family read: “The masks r down; I am so scared right now; Please pray for me; Please I don’t want to die.”
The flight had been delayed by 20 minutes, but things took a turn for the worse five minutes after take-off.
Hoch complimented the pilot who did a “good job” and addressed the flight once the plane had landed, but added that they were left “standing for hours”, unaware of their next move.
He said it felt like being a “fish out of water”, but he boarded another flight that same night – and he is set to catch a “long flight” later this week.
The Alaska Airline has issued an apology and compensation to the affected passengers, but Hoch said his luggage still remains missing.
The airline’s CEO, Ben Minicucci, said: “I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants.
“We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are travelling in the next few days.”
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for immediate inspections.
The UK’s aviation and aerospace regulator also issued a statement following the FAA’s announcement.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority wrote on X on Saturday night: “Following @FAANews’ EAD, we can confirm there are no UK-registered 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The impact on UK operated aircraft and consumers is minimal.
“We have written to non-UK and foreign permit carriers to ask inspections have been undertaken prior to operation in UK airspace.”
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One passenger showed themselves clutching an oxygen mask, describing how part of the plane ‘flew off’ just minutes into their flightCredit: TIKTOK/@strawberr.vy
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Over 170 Boeing planes have been grounded for inspection after the incidentCredit: AP
A LONG-LOST Nazi fighter jet that was shot down when a fanatical pilot charged at 1,000 US warplanes has been found 80 years later.
The well-preserved Messerschmitt – the backbone of the Hitler’s renowned Luftwaffe’s fighter force – crashed into a lake in Hungary after a fierce air battle during World War II.
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The plane was encased in mud for over 80 yearsCredit: Newsflash
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It was finally located in 2020 and recovered from its watery grave earlier this monthCredit: Newsflash
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An in-tact propeller of the fighter plane that was downed in 1941Credit: Newsflash
After being submerged in mud for the good part of a century, the fighter plane was finally recovered this month in Veszprem County, western Hungary.
It was shot down on July 2, 1944 when the Americans launched their largest-ever air attack against Hungarian targets.
The Royal Hungarian Air Force was able to send just 18 fighters into battle against an incredible 620 four-engine bombers and 300 fighters of the United States 15th Air Force.
Most of the Hungarian fighters were downed, but only three were killed, including the pilot of the crashed plane, platoon leader Sandor Beregszaszi.
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His body was recovered from Hungary’s Lake Balaton, but the location of the plane was then lost for decades.
That was until a military historian, Ensign Karoly Mago, underwent the pain-staking research to locate it.
Together with a team of divers, they found the fighter plane lying under almost a metre of mud that appears to have helped preserve it in September, 2020.
However, only a few pieces of the wreckage were able to be brought to the surface.
The researchers were amazed by the quality of the plane’s remains and made the decision to recover the rest.
On October 10, Beregszaszi’s plane was pulled from the lake encased in mud and silt.
Incredible footage of the recovery shows the plane’s twisted propeller and cowl being winched from the water with what appears to be the engine crankshaft – mostly intact.
Other parts, like exhaust pipes and the plane’s battery, are seen being cleaned up by experts from the modern Hungarian Air Force and military historians.
A spokesperson for the Hungarian Ministry Of Defence said that the wreckage “represents an inestimable value not only from the point of view of military history but also from the point of view of industrial history”.
Five expert units worked to bring the aircraft and a large number of its weapons to the surface.
Research leader Mago said: “This find is special because, apart from the one that has now been found after nearly 80 years, there is no other surviving Hungarian Messerschmitt fighter aircraft known in the world.”
Speaking of the recovery, he said: “Cleaning is the first and most important part of the procedure so that everything is in the right condition by the end of the excavation.
“We also continued to clean the riverbed.
“It turned out that much more sediment had been deposited on the wreckage than we expected.
“Our primary task now is to clean up the area around the wreck and, of course, the wreck itself.
“We need to be able to measure exactly how big the piece of wreckage is.”
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was attached to the Hungarian Air Force, which fought alongside the German Luftwaffe during World War II.
The 18 pilots were praised for their incredible bravery on what was for several of them a suicide mission as they tackled the much larger American force.
Hungary’s wartime pilots flew alongside the Nazi Luftwaffe after the country declared itself an Axis power in 1941.
The country first joined Hitler in his war with the Soviet Union in June 1941 by December had declared war against the US.
The Messerschmitt 109 was key to the success of the Luftwaffe and was famous for its speed and manoeuvrability but it was eventually beaten in the air by the British Spitfire.
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A team of divers were needed to first locate the plane at the end of 2020Credit: Newsflash
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It was left untouched deep in the mud for 80 yearsCredit: Newsflash
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Plenty of the wreckage is in incredible conditionCredit: Newsflash
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Words can still be seen etched into the plane’s foliageCredit: Newsflash
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A Hungarian soldier holds up a mashed up part of the fighterCredit: Newsflash
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The team has to recover the plane from under 1m of mudCredit: Newsflash
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The grave of Sandor Beregssaszy who was killed in his Messerschmitt as he battled 1,000 US warplanesCredit: Newsflash
A PILOT has appeared in court on a staggering 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut down a plane’s engine “while high on magic mushrooms”.
Joseph Emerson, 44, was off duty on Sunday when he allegedly carried out the dangerous stunt during a flight from Washington to San Francisco.
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Joseph Emerson appeared in court on 83 counts of attempted murderCredit: AP
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The off duty pilot allegedly attempted to shut down a plane’s engine while he was high on magic mushroomsCredit: Reuters
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He pleaded not guilty to all 83 countsCredit: Facebook
The rogue Alaska Airlines pilot allegedly attempted to shut off the engines’ fuel supply.
He appeared before court in a blue prison jumpsuit and sported a prink t-shirt underneath.
During the speedy hearing, Emerson did not personally address the court but did speak to his attorney from behind a glass partition.
He pleaded not guilty to all 83 counts of attempted murder through his lawyer.
Earlier today, Emerson was also charged in federal court for interfering with flight crew and also faces severe state charges of 83 counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerment.
According to a his testimony, Emerson said “I’m not okay” before grabbing two red fire handles which would have shut down the plane’s engines.
He later told officials: “Yeah… I pulled both emergency shut off handles because I thought I was dreaming and I just wanna wake up.”
According to a federal affidavit, Emerson had allegedly become depressed around six months ago, and claimed it was his first time taking magic mushrooms.
The plane made an emergency landing in Oregon before Emerson was arrested.
In a statement from the District of Oregon Department of Justice, they said: “Emerson attempted to grab and pull two red fire handles that would have activated the plane’s emergency fire suppression system and cut off fuel to its engines.
“After a brief physical struggle with the pilots, Emerson exited the cockpit”.
Emerson had allegedly been speaking to the planes two pilots before he is claimed to have pulled off his crazed stunt and told them that he had been an employee there for 10 years, before throwing his headset across the cockpit.
After reaching for the two red levers, one of the pilots “wrestled” him off before declaring an in-flight emergency and telling flight attendants Emerson was “losing it”.
The two red levers were the fire suppression system which includes a T-shaped handle for each engine.
“If the T-handle is fully deployed, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine. In this case, the quick reaction of our crew to reset the T-handles ensured engine power was not lost,” Alaska Airlines said.
The panicked duo then turned off autopilot and changed course for Portland, according to the affidavit.
One Emerson had exited the cockpit, he was spotted “peacefully walking to the back of the aircraft” and told one flight attendant he “just got kicked out of the flight deck”.
According to the court documents, he then said: “You need to cuff me right now or it’s going to be bad.”
Flight attendants allegedly had to place restrain Emerson’s wrists and seat him in the rear of the aircraft.
He then reportedly tried to grab the handle of an emergency exit and a flight attendant stopped him by placing her hands on top of his.
One of the attendants also claimed he made statements including “I messed everything up”, and “he tried to kill everybody”.
In a recorded interview with cops, Emerson said he believed he was having a “nervous breakdown” and had not slept in 40 hours.
“I didn’t feel okay. It seemed like the pilots weren’t paying attention to what was going on. They didn’t… it didn’t seem right,” he told cops.
Emerson ultimately denied taking any medication but admitted to cops he had been using psychedelic mushrooms for the first time.
The captain allegedly told ground control at the time of the incident: “We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit.
“He doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issue in the back right now, and I think he’s subdued.
“Other than that, yeah, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and parked.”
There were 80 passengers including children along with four crewmembers on board the plane at the time.
Aubrey Gavello, who was on board the plane, said a flight attendant told passengers that Emerson suffered a mental breakdown.
“After we did land and the gentleman was escorted off, the flight attendant got back on the speaker and said, plain and simple, ‘He had a mental breakdown. We needed to get him off the plane immediately’,” she told ABC.
Alaska Airlines released a statement at 6pm on October 23 saying: “On Oct. 22, Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 operated by Horizon Air from Everett, WA (PAE) to San Francisco, CA (SFO) reported a credible security threat related to an off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, identified as Captain Joseph Emerson, who was traveling in the flight deck jump seat.
“Captain Emerson unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines.
“The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, and the crew secured the aircraft without incident.
“Engine power was not lost despite the off-duty pilot’s attempt to shut down the engines by engaging the Engine Fire Handle, also known as the fire suppression system.
“All passengers on board were able to complete their journey with a new crew and aircraft.
“We are grateful for the patience of our guests throughout this event and are reaching out to each of them individually to discuss their experience and check-in on their well-being.
“Captain Emerson joined Alaska Air Group as a Horizon First Officer in August 2001. In June 2012, Emerson left Horizon to join Virgin America as a pilot.
“Emerson became an Alaska Airlines First Officer following Alaska’s acquisition of Virgin America in 2016.
“He became an Alaska Airlines Captain in 2019.
‘Throughout his career, Emerson completed his mandated FAA medical certifications in accordance with regulatory requirements, and at no point were his certifications denied, suspended or revoked.”
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He claimed it was his first time taking the psychedelic drugCredit: Facebook
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Emerson joined Alaska Air Group as a Horizon first officer in August 2001 and in 2012, left Horizon to join Virgin America as a pilotCredit: Facebook
