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Norwegian P-3 Orion accident in 1987 |
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The Norwegian Air Force's Orion P-3 surveillance aircraft did follow Soviet submarine activities in the Barents- and Norwegian Seas. They often met with Soviet interceptor aircraft and made photos about them. |
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In the autumn of 1987 one of the 941st Fighter Air Regiment PVO's Su-27 'Flanker-B', a single-seater coded '36 Red', became famous when Western aerospace magazines published dramatic close-up shots of it carrying a full complement of R-27T and R-27ER 'AA-10 Alamo' is a medium-to-long-range air-to-air missile. These were taken during the widely publicized incident on 13th September 1987 involving a Royal Norwegian Air Force’s 333rd Squadron’s Lockheed P-3B Orion. |
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The maritime patrol aircraft was shadowing a group of Soviet Navy ships in the Barents Sea when Lt. (SG) Vasiliy Tsymbal was ordered to make a practice intercept. Trying to 'squeeze' the Flanker out as the fighter came up on the port flank, the Orion's captain 1st Lt. Jan Salvesen reduced speed by extending the undercarriage and moved so as to position his aircraft directly above the Su-27 ‘Flanker-B’. However, he was unaware of the Flanker's low-speed handling capabilities, and as the Su-27 ‘Flanker-B’ slowed down as well to keep formation the Norwegian crew briefly lost sight of it. Possibly trying to get a real close look at the Orion, Tsymbal maneuvered the fighter dangerously close to it and the port fin made contact with the Orion's No.4 propeller. |
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The dielectric fin cap shattered immediately, but so did the propeller and fragments of it punctured the fuselage skin, causing decompression. The damaged propeller caused violent vibration, forcing the crew to shut down the engine. Both aircraft made it safely to their home bases. |
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Photos: Royal Norwegian Air Force |
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