Krakow, September 3, 2018
MiG-23 MF nb 150 crash with pilot Krzysztof Owczarek.
July 14, 1988.
The MiG-23 MF nb 150 crash on July 14, 1988, in which Captain Pilot Eng. Krzysztof Owczarek.
On July 14, 1988, 28 PLM performed day and night flights. The pre-flight briefing was carried out at 17:00. The weather conditions were relatively difficult, but did not disqualify the performance of the exercises. A strong wind was blowing and it was raining. It was completely cloudy in places. Flights started before 18:00.
Around 22:30 Lieutenant Krzysztof Owczarek took off for his night flight with the task of flying to the zone, tracking and intercepting the air target. The flight was performed on the MiG-23 MF nb 150 aircraft. The zone was located approximately 20 km south-east of the Słupsk Airport. The pilot supposedly had the wings set at the minimum sweep angle of 16 degrees throughout the flight. It was not far from the zone, and the range of operation of the radar station was 55 km. The pilot approached the zone at an altitude of about 4,000 m. Around 11:00 p.m., the pilot reported the capture of the target.
What happened next is not entirely certain. The report after the disaster says – "From that moment on, Lieutenant Krzysztof Owczarek’s further actions were based on several mistakes. Having a wing angle set at 16 degrees and performing inappropriate maneuvers, he exceeded the critical speed for this configuration of the machine. The pilot in the uncontrollable plane lost spatial orientation and hit the ground without attempting to eject. He died on the spot."
Perhaps the report contains one hundred percent truth. However, it is hard not to get the impression that the report does not contain all the facts. The 16 degree wing position provides maximum lift to the machine. This is the position at which the plane takes off and lands. At any other bevel: 45 degrees or 74 degrees, the minimum speed is higher. The report also does not say whether the pilot was ordered to leave the plane and when the rescue operation was initiated.
It is so that absentees cannot defend themselves and present their arguments. Our further doubts are listed below.
The plane with the pilot Krzysztof Owczarek crashed in the forests between the villages of Karwno and Soszyce, approximately 1.5 km south-west of the village of Soszyce. Around 11:30 p.m., a rescue operation was actually launched, because the soldiers were on the spot at midnight. A local forester was awakened to help reach the crash site as soon as possible. The area was secured. The soldiers spent several days collecting the remains of the plane. And so, not everything was collected, because 30 years after the tragedy, you can still find remains at the crash site.
At the crash site, the plane broke and felled trees and made a large ditch. The machine exploded because residents heard the explosion about 4 km away and the windows of their houses shook. There were plenty of small parts of the aircraft, skin, engine parts, avionics, hydraulic and electrical lines. Many items were burnt. There was a smell of kerosene and burning in the air for several days.
Communications in the media were very laconic, because socialism still reigned.
Very quickly, the examination of the aircraft for failure was abandoned or this possibility was not taken into account at all. It’s a pity. The more so that on August 30, 1988, another MiG-23 nb 141 plane crash happened, but then the pilot survived. On August 30, 1988, a pair flight was performed by lieutenant colonel Waldemar Piegaz (nb 141) and led by lieutenant Wiesław Radziewicz. The latter reported seeing smoke from the exhaust nozzle of the MiG-23 nb 141 aircraft. A moment later, a fire broke out on board. The machine has lost control. The pilot fired and landed safely. The area of the accident is around Lake Jasień. The wreck of the MiG-23 nb 141 aircraft was quite complete. It didn’t break into tiny pieces. Therefore, the question – Why was the MiG-23 MF nb 150 aircraft so badly damaged?
On the first anniversary of the catastrophe, Captain Krzysztof Owczarek’s colleagues erected a commemorative obelisk at the site of the tragedy with the inscription – "In this place, on July 14, 1988, captain engineer pilot Krzysztof Owczarek died by the death of an aviator." You can almost always find flowers and candles here. To visit this place, it is best to get to Soszyce. Ask the locals here and walk to the place in a few minutes.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman