site.btaFlight Recorder of Bulgarian MiG-29, which Crashed June 9, Has Been Recovered

Sofia, June 24 (BTA) - The flight recorder of a Bulgarian Air
Force MiG-29 jet fighter, which crashed in the Black Sea on June
 9, has been recovered from a depth of 70 metres with the help
of equipment provided by a private company, caretaker Defence
Minister Georgi Panayotov said in Stara Zagora (Southeastern
Bulgaria) on Thursday. The recorder is on board a Navy vessel
and will be transported to the Graf Ignatievo Air Base.

Panayotov specified that the outer shell of the device is
damaged but there is reason to believe that the inner shell is
intact and the information contained in it can hopefully be
retrieved before the end of the day.

The aircraft crashed at 00:45 hrs local time on June 9 while
performing a training mission over Bulgarian territorial waters
in the Black Sea during the Shabla 2021 Field Firing Exercise.
The pilot, Major Valentin Terziev, 47, was killed in the
accident. The plane disappeared from the radar screens
immediately after Terziev reported that he had hit an
illuminated flying target. Probably due to a parachute failure,
the target  started falling much faster than expected.

The Defence Minister said that an investigation into the
incident is in progress and the flight recorder data will enable
 investigators to reach conclusions about the cause of the
crash. The investigation is due for completion by July 9. All
leads are being followed. NV/ZH, LG