Military plane crashes in Romania
(BRUSSELS2) An IAR99 "Soim" or "Hawk", a Romanian army training aircraft, crashed this morning (August 23) near Craiova airport (located in the south-west of the country, near Bulgaria and Serbia).
According to the Romanian media, in particular our colleagues from truth, the pilot (Colonel Aurelian Cojocaru) died on the spot; he was 49 years old. While the passenger (Ltt Colonel Relu Ioana), aged 35, was able to eject; he would however be in serious condition, suffering from serious burns according to the medical emergency services (SMUR) intervened on the spot.
The crew was experienced, had many flying hours and belonged to the flight test team based in Craiova. The accident could have caused greater damage since, according to the airport manager, there were houses near the place of impact. The causes of the accident are not known. But an investigation began immediately. A team of military prosecutors is on site.
The IAR99 is a device manufactured in Romania and put into service at the end of the 1980s. A modernized version, with the help of an Israeli company.
