Kyiv mourns pilot Juice who died in a plane crash in the Zhytomyr region

On August 25, the crews of two L-39 combat trainer jets collided in the skies of Zhytomyr region while flying a combat mission.

The crash killed combat pilots Vyacheslav Minka, Serhiy Prokazin and Andriy Pilshchikov, call sign Juice.

All three were pilots of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Tsentr (Centre) Air Command. The pilots of this brigade defended the capital and embodied the collective image of the "ghost of Kyiv".

Andrii Pilshchykov devoted eight years of his life to aviation and had over 500 hours of flight time. He served as a MiG-29 fighter pilot. 

In an interview with international publications, Pilshchykov called on his partners to provide Ukraine with modern F-16 fighters.

The pilot was posthumously promoted from captain to major. The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, also came to pay his last respects to the pilot.

The State Bureau of Investigation is considering three versions of the collision: a vehicle malfunction, pilot error or improper flight organisation.