For many years, information about how Gagarin Yuri Alekseevich died, remained under the heading "secret." And only 30 years after the tragedy that claimed his life, the veil of secrecy began to open, which enveloped the events of that March 1968 day.
The first speaker on this occasion was cosmonaut Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov, as well as professor, doctor of technical sciences, scientist in the field of rocket science Sergei Mikhailovich Belotserkovsky. An interview with them was published on the pages of the journal Science and Life in 1998. This moment marked the beginning of the publication of all new versions of the events. Everyone who could, including not only the Soviet, but also the foreign media, built their hypotheses as to why Gagarin died. And only in 2011, on the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight, were materials published concerning the investigation of all the circumstances of this plane crash.
What is known?
About three weeks before March 27, 1968, the day Gagarin died, the cosmonaut after a long break resumed training flights under the guidance of an instructor, Colonel Vladimir Seregin. That morning, the MiG-15 training aircraft once again left the Chkalovsky airfield for training. After completing a 20-minute training complex of exercises, the instructor had to decide on the admission of his student to self-control aircraft. Everything that happened next was even more confused by the circumstances of how Gagarin Yuri Alekseevich, pilot-cosmonaut, the first man to be in space, died.
According to eyewitnesses, after the early completion of tasks, board 625 requested permission to land. However, a few minutes later the plane disappeared from the radar screens. He was found 65 kilometers from the airfield a few minutes later. The examination of the wreckage of the aircraft and the bodies of the pilots did not bring any clarity to the circumstances of the tragedy. It remains a mystery to what really happened how Gagarin and Colonel Seregin, who was on board with him, died.
What could have happened?
It should be noted that none of the considered versions was recognized as official for the reason that the members of the government commission could not reach an agreement on what really happened on board the training MiG-15. All the possible information about the flight, the characteristics of the crew members and the testimony of the command were collected. Documents are classified. After their publication, several versions of what happened were brought to the public court.
MiG-15 was avoiding a collision
The most common version of how Gagarin and the instructor in the cockpit died is a meeting when returning to the airfield with a meteorological probe or another plane. In order to avoid a collision, the crew had to make a sharp maneuver to the side. The aircraft went into a tailspin, which neither Gagarin nor Seregin could handle.
Colonel Seregin passed out during the flight
The cause of the disaster could be an instructor having a heart attack during the flight, as a result of which the man blocked the control panel, leaning on him. The bailout became impossible due to a special system that provides for leaving the cockpit first by the instructor, and then by his student. But if everything was so, it is not clear for what reason Gagarin did not receive any reports regarding the incident. There are suggestions that the colonel's heart stopped still in the air. In this connection, another question arises: "Could Yury Gagarin, when his instructor Seregin died, reported about what happened?"
Both Gagarin and Seregin were unconscious at the time of the disaster
The plane flew at an altitude of 4 kilometers, depressurization of the cabin could occur. Lack of oxygen forced a sharp decline. As a result, the pressure jumped sharply, both pilots lost consciousness.
However, both of them underwent special training, and such a height should not have been critical for trained pilots. Moreover, one was 34 years old at the time of the disaster, the other 45. And Colonel Seregin could not die at the very moment Gagarin died - hypoxia does not affect everyone instantly. Consequently, simultaneous loss of consciousness was unlikely.
Air hooliganism
Some experts are inclined to the version of hooliganism in the air, which was very common among pilots of the Soviet Union in the 50-60s. The crew could disobey the order and not immediately return to the airfield, but proceed to complex aerobatics, dropping to the limit. However, the majority of this version of how Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin died is not considered. Being a very responsible and competent pilot, he was looking forward to the first independent flight after such a long break. There was no question of any folly, since it was important for Gagarin to have time to complete the task and make a circle on the plane on his own, as the weather deteriorated.
Negligent leadership
The facts show that the crew of the MiG-15 training had outdated weather information. Fresh data should have been provided to them during the flight, but they have not been transmitted. Having performed the descent, the plane made a coup with the exit from the dive and fell into the zone with increased cloud cover. This did not cause concern for the pilots, since, according to their data, the lower edge of the clouds was at an altitude of 900 meters, although in reality this figure was only 400 meters. When they saw the ground, the height to go horizontally was too small. Perhaps these events provoked the tragedy.
What do modern studies say?
Today, all the pop-up facts refute the above versions of how and when Gagarin died. The version of a collision in the air is refuted by the absence on the fuselage of any traces and failures in the control system. The same evidence casts doubt on the fact of the loss of consciousness by Seregin and his death while still in the air, leaving open the question of why Gagarin did not inform the earth about what happened, if this version is true. It is not clear why experienced pilots did not eject from the cockpit. According to some reports, Gagarin to the last managed a plane to avoid a collision with a nearby school. This version also has no evidence. According to other sources, the aircraft derailed the turbulence caused by a supersonic aircraft located in the same area.
Alternate versions, or Death, which was not
Along with the traditional, seemingly even somewhat reasonable versions of how Gagarin Yuri Alekseevich died - Colonel, 1st-class military pilot, the most insane variants of the development of events were widely spread.
So, some argue that Gagarin and Seregin were completely drunk. This caused the loss of control of the aircraft. According to some evidence, Gagarin could not cope with the fame that came to him, and began to abuse alcohol. However, an examination of the bodies of the pilots did not reveal traces of alcohol in the blood, as well as an increased level of adrenaline. In other words, both were sober at the time of death, but most likely did not even have time to understand what had happened.
The most incredible versions come down to the fact that Gagarin was abducted by an alien mind. Some claim that he met an alien object, became confused by reason, and died within the walls of a Soviet psychiatric clinic more than 20 years after the official date of his death. Theories bordering on common sense multiplied that the instructor, Colonel Seregin, killed both himself and Gagarin because he envied his ward, who was younger than him, but had already become a darling of the whole world and achieved dizzying successes, receiving early and extraordinary military ranks . No less surprising were the versions that the training MiG-15 was targeted by the CIA, and that Gagarin staged his death, made plastic and is still in good health, living calmly under a false name.
Almost everyone knows in which year Gagarin died, but the very circumstances of his death are still a mystery. None of the published versions with careful study does not fit in with verified facts. The version of the negligence of the leadership of the Mission Control Center perfectly explains why all the materials on the case of the death of Gagarin were almost immediately classified and shelved. The investigation revealed a large number of disciplinary violations, which could entail not the most pleasant consequences for many dignitaries.