Time.com: Picture of the week, Su-27 airshow crash

Time.com ^ | July 27, 2002 | time.com

[dubyagee]

I saw the one of the original videos. This shot is exactly what I saw in one of those videos. It's not fake.

[Burr5]

I haven't seen any video other than the one that's been on TV over and over. I suspect that if something like THIS existed it would be the one we would see. Haven't seen it. Can you provide a link? BTW, how come those people over on the left seem to be sitting so calmly as (what a appears to be a 100 ft. long(!) airplane crashes ten feet in front of them? didn't they see it coming in time to at least get up off their lawn chairs. If I see the video, I could change my mind, but this just doesn't add up for me in any way.

[Burr5]

And further, why is the background, the trees and all, invisible close to the ground due to (presumably) smoke, despite the fact that there is absolutely no smoke aft of the wings?

[dubyagee]

Here's another angle...

[Calvin Locke]

The picture of the week that I'd like to see is a group photo of the idiots on Time's editorial board.

*sigh*

Nothing's changed since old man Joe bought off Henry.

What's with missing chunks in the stablilers?

[Barnacle]

I believe this photo is legit.

The relative size illusion is the result of high-powered telephoto lens - probably 500 mm or stronger.

What I find intriguing is the starboard side engine appears to be flamed out and the waft of its emissions gives the impression that the plane was cartwheeling nose over tail before impact.

Is anyone here familiar with the pre-impact motion of the plane?

[Lib-Lickers 2]

why would someone fake the photograph anyway when so many people probably had video cameras to show the real crash?,,

[Principled]

This reminds me too much of another day planes crashed.

[r9etb]

why would someone fake the photograph anyway when so many people probably had video cameras to show the real crash?,,

Tsk. Silly, don't you know that if you can fake one picture, you can fake a whole video clip of them?

Personally, I think this is all part of a Ukrainian conspiracy to put us off guard about them. And just when we begin to think they're technologically awkward, WHAM! they'll show up with space ships and take over the world.

(mumbling) Ex-commie b@stards is what they are....

[Calvin Locke]

Because they can? Well, a "tourist guy"'s been done for a tragedy already, so people with too much time on their
hands have found a relatively harmless hobby.

May pay big dividends in the future, as illustrated in "Doonesbury" with Duke getting bites via the internet
on 30 year-old "doctored" photo that put him at the Dan Rather moment in Dallas, November, 1963...

[clamboat]

What I find intriguing is the starboard side engine appears to be flamed out and the waft of its emissions gives the impression that the plane was cartwheeling nose over tail before impact.

Uhmm, maybe that's because it was cartwheeling? Not before impact but immediately after the initial impact. The video (widely available on the internet) shows it coming down at a steep angle, pilots ejected, plane seemed to flip tail-down, the tail hit the ground, it started cartwheeling toward or through the crowd before the final impact and explosion.

[Barnacle]

Thanks clamboat, I found the video here. The human aspect of the story is disturbing.

http://cbc.ca/clips/ram-lo/sorensen_airshow020727.ram

After seeing the video, I am revising my impression of the photo. It appears the pilot simply didn't have the altitude to pull off the maneuver and he cut the throttles just prior to impact followed by cartwheeling. So, my guess is he didn't flameout.