06.06.2010.
Minister visits pilot Jocic at MMA
Minister of defense Dragan Sutanovac visited the pilot Slobodan Jocic, who flew the Orao plane, which crashed on Thursday, 3 June. Major Jocic is hospitalized at the neurosurgery ward of the MMA after catapulting himself from the plane.After having a brief conversation with the pilot, the Minister said that the most important thing was that he was in good health, expressing his hope that the pilot will leave the hospital soon.
Sutanovac said that this was a heroic gesture adhering to all procedures and rules. He commended the pilot of 241st fighter-bombing squadron, stating that he had deserved a reward for his attempt to safe the plane.
Once again, the minister reiterated that the malfunction of the landing gear caused the plane to crash. He pointed out that the SAF plot had tried everything to safe the plane and his life, but also to save the lives and property of the local population. This is why, in minister’s words, he decided to direct the plane into the lake, avoiding a possible crash into an inhabited area. The fact that the pilot had closed the tanks in order to avoid any fuel lea, thus preventing a possible ecological disaster, bespeaks of the fact that the army had not placed the lives of the citizens in any risk.In his statement, he emphasized that such speculations that the reason was the age of the air craft or a small number of flight hours were not true. Even the most cutting edge planes are prone to such accidents, as can be seen in the case of the recent accident of the Russian acro group commander, who must have had many hours of flights.
Head of MMA Major General Miodrag Jevtic, MD, said that the pilot was in good health, stable and that he was in the final recovery stage. The patient was preparing to be dismissed from hospital, as he said.
PHOTOGALLERY
