This tragic story is about how in February 1988 in the Pacific Ocean a Tu-16 317 aircraft of a separate mixed air regiment made an emergency landing,
the crew of the ship's commander, Captain Konstantin Efremov. As a result of this tragic incident, the Commander was the only survivor of the entire crew. Five members of his crew were killed.
Today I will tell you about the amazing story of the survival of the Tu-16 commander in an extreme environment. About the unparalleled strength of will and fortitude that helped the pilot survive and overcome trials in inhuman conditions. This case was brought to the attention of the entire flight crew and, among other things, served as training material in the survival training centers for pilots.
The flight accident happened on February 26, 1988. An unusually frosty winter day was drawing to a close, when the mark of the aircraft of the crew of Captain Efremov disappeared from the screens of the coastal radars of Kamchatka. The Tu-16 reconnaissance aircraft disappeared, which for several hours, paired with the same aircraft, had been practicing a training battle over the Sea of Okhotsk against two MIG-31 fighters.
The mission was completed, the planes dispersed, the first Tu-16 was already landing. The second one also began to decline. He had a little more than a hundred kilometers to the coast, and then both engines stopped.
The crew did not respond to calls ...