Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov

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Mikhail Kozlov
Native name
Михаил Васильевич Козлов
Born5 November 1928
Yezhovo village, Kostroma Governorate, RSFSR, USSR
Died3 June 1973 (aged 44)
Goussainville, Val-d'Oise, France
AllegianceSoviet Union Soviet Union
Service/branch Soviet Air Force
Years of service1946–1973
RankColonel
AwardsHero of the Soviet Union
Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR

Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov (Russian: Михаил Васильевич Козлов; 5 November 1928 – 3 June 1973) was a Soviet test pilot who received the title Hero of the Soviet Union and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR for his work. As the co-pilot on the maiden flight of the Tu-144, he was one of very few pilots to fly the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic airliner, and was given the honor of flying it at the Paris Airshow in 1973. However, his career as a pilot was cut short because he died when the Tu-144 crashed at the Paris Airshow; the causes of the crash remain disputed.

Early life[edit]

Kozlov was born on 5 November 1928 to a Russian family in Yezhevo village. He entered the military in 1946 and the following year he graduated from the Tambov Military Aviation School of Pilots. After graduating from the Kirovabad Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1951, he worked as a flight instructor, and in 1953 he became a member of the Communist Party. In 1955 he entered test pilot school, graduating in 1957.[1][2]

Test pilot work[edit]

After graduating from test pilot school he began working for the Tupolev Design Bureau. There, he tested a variety of aircraft, including flying as the pilot-in-command on the maiden flight of the Tu-128 in 1961; he also flew a variety of tests on the Tu-16, Tu-22, Tu-22M, Tu-95, Tu-104, Tu-110, Tu-110B, Tu-114, Tu-124, Tu-134, and Tu-154. However, he is most known for his role in the testing of the Tu-144 supersonic airliner, serving as co-pilot for Eduard Yelyan on its maiden flight on 31 December 1968. Previously, he had graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1966 and spent a lot of time in the Tu-144 simulator before flying the aircraft. For his work as a test pilot he received several high honors including the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 22 July 1966 and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR on 22 August 1972.[3][4]

Death[edit]

Main article: 1973 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crash

Kozlov was chosen to pilot the Tu-144 registered СССР-77102[5] at the Paris Airshow in 1973.[6][7] The flight plan for the Tu-144 had been modified at the last minute, leaving the crew less time to complete their demonstration.[8] On 3 June, the last day of the airshow, the Tu-144 flew after Concorde did its demonstration flight.[9] During the Tu-144 demonstration, Kozlov flew the plane low along Runway 060.[10] For reasons that remain disputed, the plane suddenly maneuvered violently, first nose up towards a stall followed by a dive, resulting in a mid-air breakup of the aircraft, the remnants of which crashed on the French village of Goussainville, killing all on board the plane and several people on the ground.[11][12][13] On 12 June 1973 he was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery along with the rest of the crew.[14]

The exact cause of the crash remains disputed. Initial speculation suggested pilot error by the Tu-144 crew, suggesting that they may have tried to show maneuvers beyond what the aircraft could handle to show off the aircraft's capabilities in the midst of rivalry with Concorde, or alternatively, the possibility of improper configuration of the aircraft systems by the ground crew. However, later investigation led to the revelation of a French Mirage fighter flying very close to the designated flight path of the Tu-144, which the French government initially denied in its first report but eventually acknowledged to be present to photograph the TU-144's unique canards. Furthermore, it was revealed that the crew of Tu-144 were not informed that there would be another plane flying close to them, which could have easily startled them into making the sharp evasive maneuvers that led to the plane breaking up in mid-air.[9][15]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Shkadov, Ivan, ed. (1987). Герои Советского Союза: краткий биографический словарь I, Абаев - Любичев [Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Brief Biographical Dictionary I, Abaev - Lyubichev]. Moscow: Voenizdat. p. 687. OCLC 313747315.
  2. ^ Svishchev, G.P. (1994). Авиация: энциклопедия (in Russian). Научное Издат. Большая Российская Энциклопедия. p. 277. ISBN 9785852700865.
  3. ^ Simonov, Andrey (2015). Заслуженные испытатели СССР (2 ed.). Moscow: Russian Knights Foundation. p. 106. ISBN 978-5-9906036-9-1.
  4. ^ Russian Civil and Military Aircraft, 1884-1969. Fountain Press. 1971. ISBN 978-0-85242-460-5.
  5. ^ Greenwood, John T. (1998). "The Designers and their Aircraft". In Robin D. S. Higham; John T. Greenwood; Von Hardesty (eds.). Russian aviation and air power in the twentieth century. Routledge. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-7146-4784-5.
  6. ^ Khorshevsky, Andrey (2011). "Трудный путь в небо". Наука и техника (11–12): 43–44. ISBN 9785457527508.
  7. ^ Gordon, Yefim; Rigmant, Vladimir (2005). OKB Tupolev: A History of the Design Bureau and Its Aircraft. Midland. p. 250.
  8. ^ Barker, Des (2003). Zero Error Margin: Airshow Display Flying Analysed. Freeworld Publications. ISBN 978-0-9584388-8-9.
  9. ^ a b Simons, Graham M. (2012). Concorde Conspiracy: The Battle for American Skies 1962-77. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-7693-3.
  10. ^ Oberg, James E. (1988). Uncovering Soviet Disasters: Exploring the Limits of Glasnost. Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-56095-3.
  11. ^ "Explaining The Tupolev Tu-144 Accident At The Paris Air Show In 1973 - AeroTime". 2019-06-03. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  12. ^ Gallay, Mark (1997). Небо, которое объединяет (in Russian). Русско-Балтийский информационный центр Блиц. ISBN 9785867890551.
  13. ^ Eden, Paul E. (2015). The World's Greatest Civil Aircraft: An Illustrated History. Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78274-272-2.
  14. ^ "Tu-144 investigation continues". Flight International. 103 (3354): 938. 21 June 1973. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  15. ^ Garrison, William L.; Levinson, David M. (2005-10-13). The Transportation Experience: Policy, Planning, and Deployment. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-534673-2.
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