According to the ‘Belarusian Gayun’ group, the Russian fighter jet had an engine surge in the air after catching fire. The plane made an emergency landing at the ‘Machulyshchi’ airport.
On January 19, information appeared in Ukrainian Telegram channels that a powerful explosion rang out in Belarus due to the flash of the engine of the MiG-31K aircraft that rose into the air. In this regard, the observers of the ‘Belarusian Gayun’ monitoring group reported that, according to their data, it was not an explosion, but the surge of the fighter’s engine.
According to observers, around 12:00 noon Minsk time, residents of the Molodechne district of the Minsk region heard a loud explosion in the sky. They said that windows in houses both in the city of Molodechno and in its suburbs shook from the shock wave.
Observers specified that the event occurred at 10:59 a.m. Kyiv time over the Molodechno district.
‘In the MiG-31K fighter jet of the Russian Air Force (RF-95194), one of the two engines ignited, which was accompanied by the sound of an explosion – in fact, it was the sound of the engine surging after ignition,’ wrote ‘Belarusian Gayun’.
As a result of the accident, the fighter was forced to end the flight urgently and return to the airfield ‘Machulyshchi’. At the same time, it is noted that the engine flash occurred precisely in the MiG-31K fighter-interceptor, whose engine caught fire on December 25, 2022.
Aircraft engine pumping
Pumpage is an explosive mode of operation of an aircraft turbojet engine, in which its gas-dynamic stability is violated. As a rule, surging is accompanied by cotton in the air intake due to the backflow of gases, a sharp drop in engine thrust, powerful vibration and exhaust smoke.
During surge, the air flow around the blades of the impeller changes direction sharply, turbulent eddies appear inside the turbine, and the pressure at the compressor inlet becomes equal to or greater than at its outlet. As a result of this process, shock loads begin to act on the impeller blade, which can cause serious damage to the engine right during flight.
Military aircraft engine pumping
In the event of a surge, the pilot is forced to steer the plane at peak, which will most likely help prevent the engine from being destroyed in the air.
