The I-180 aircraft (fighter and bomber) was developed at Polikarpov Design Bureau. At that time, it had excellent flight characteristics, could carry on board up to 200 kg of bombs and was equipped with four synchronously firing machine guns.
History of creation
The famous Soviet designer Nikolai Nikolayevich Polikarpov never rested on his laurels. He clearly realized that a significant engine was needed to significantly improve flight data. The I-16 monoplane fighter, developed by him in 1932 and armed with the Soviet Air Force, 5 years later ceased to meet modern requirements.
Polikarpov already in 1936 began to think about making a serious modification of the I-16 with the M-62 base engine. But he did not have time to implement this idea, since soon Zaporizhzhya Plant No. 29 launched the launch of new M-88 engines, which had power much closer to the required one. Thus, I-164 and 165 projects appeared. At the same time, the winery received an order to develop a variable pitch propeller. Despite this, the then head of the Air Force did not show the slightest interest in these aircraft. Therefore, the decision arose to design another fighter.
New plane
Polikarpov Design Bureau began designing. The new development received the designation I-180. The fighter was ready by February 1938. I must say that in general the design of the I-180 was very similar to the I-16, but it was slightly larger in size. Initially, it was planned to equip the aircraft with four synchronously firing machine guns, and later replace them with large-caliber or cannons.
After the transfer of Polikarpov Design Bureau to plant No. 156, an unfavorable situation developed, which did not at all contribute to the high-quality and quick production of necessary parts. The fact is that earlier this enterprise was mainly engaged in the production of large aircraft, and now he had to urgently master the production technology of a lighter fighter.
First failures
The release of this machine was supervised by the head of the Main Directorate Belyaykin. I must say that he constantly urged people to finish assembling as quickly as possible and there were times when he even directly intervened in the production process. Such actions introduced unnecessary nervousness into the activities of both OKB and the plant itself as a whole. A considerable contribution to the acceleration of work was made by the director of the enterprise M. A. Usachev. Therefore, the aircraft was built in November 1938.
In the early days of December, the car was thoroughly inspected, after which it revealed as many, as many as 190 defects (!), 40 of which were found in motor equipment. With so many flaws, the I-180 was released. The fighter was nevertheless taken to the airport, having previously eliminated most of them in the shops.
I must say that the designers of combat aircraft themselves are always very sensitive and demanding of their projects, in addition, they, like no one else, know the price of technical errors. That is why Polikarpov, as he could, protested against the haste in preparing his brainchild for the first test, for which he was temporarily suspended from further work.
Fatal coincidence
In the winter of 1938, Valery Pavlovich Chkalov was urgently recalled from vacation. Reason: testing the new I-180 aircraft. The fighter was planned to be tested on December 15, but its first run took place three days earlier. She revealed a number of defects, among which a breakdown of the gas sector control rod was detected. The fault was eliminated, and the date of the first flight remained unchanged. In the assignment issued to Chkalov, it was ordered to fly over the airfield at an altitude of 600 m for 10-15 minutes and land without removing the landing gear, which were also locked on the eve.
I must say that before this fateful day in Moscow there was a non-flying weather for several weeks. In the mornings a thick fog descended on the city, sometimes it snowed. Air temperature ranged from 0 to -2⁰C. However, on the day of the test, the sky cleared. The sun was shining bright, but the temperature dropped to -27 ⁰ C. Nobody expected such a sharp drop, but the planned flight was not canceled.
On December 15, as usual during the first test of experimental aircraft, all sorties were stopped, and airfield work was not carried out on that day. I-180 was at the hangar. The last preparations for the test flight were underway: we installed control devices and necessary units, including blinds. Approaching the workers, Chkalov asked how long it would take to install them. He was told that about 2-3 hours, and maybe more. Valery Pavlovich did not like such an indefinite answer, who understood that the flight on this day might not take place, since it was winter, and it was getting dark very early. He decided to fly without installing blinds, probably hoping for a favorable test outcome.
The death of pilot number 1
The pilot made the first circle as prescribed: rising into the air, he flew over the airfield at an altitude of 500-600 m. Then he entered the second circle, but already at an altitude of 2-2.5 thousand meters and at a great distance from the airfield . When he slowed down the gas and began to decline, intending to land the plane, the engine stalled. The airdrome was too far away, and residential huts and high antennas of the radio station could be seen below.
As you know, the landing gear was locked at the plane, and when it began to fall, Chkalov realized that they could touch the roof of one of the barracks, where at that time, most likely, people were. Another pilot might not have thought about this, moreover, the roof would probably have cushioned the blow. However, Chkalov decided to turn aside, and a plane with an idle engine crashed into a high-voltage metal support.
A powerful blow threw Chkalov out of the cockpit along with the helm. Having fallen, the pilot hit his head hard. The injuries were incompatible with life, and after 2 hours he died in the Botkin hospital. Chkalov’s funeral took place in Moscow. The urn with its ashes is still in the Kremlin wall.
Causes of the disaster
The death of Valery Chkalov immediately gave rise to a large number of rumors and legends. Despite the fact that there is an official conclusion made by a special commission to investigate this tragedy, there are other versions that come down to one question: was it a fateful coincidence or did the pilot become objectionable to someone and simply kill him?
The commissions working in 1938 and 1955 came to different conclusions, but in one they were in solidarity: the accident occurred due to the engine cooling of the fighter, as well as errors in the gas control device. In addition, the second investigation revealed that many parts of the machine were experienced and have never been tested in the air. From all this, the conclusion suggests itself that the Polikarpov I-180 aircraft at the time of its first departure was incomplete due to the excessive haste of higher authorities controlling this process, which led to an irreparable tragedy.
Second plane crash
However, the history of the I-180 aircraft did not end there. The tests continued. By February 1939, a second prototype fighter was built. It practically did not differ from the previous one, except that the area and wingspan were slightly increased, and instead of the M-88 engine, the M-87A, considered to be more reliable, was installed on board.
The first flight on a modernized car took place on April 27 of the same year. It was piloted by pilot S.P. Suprun. This time everything went without any significant comments. In view of this, confidence in Polikarpov’s aircraft grew so much that the fighter even participated in the May 1 celebration and flew over Red Square. However, already at the beginning of September the I-180 crashed again, this time test pilot Thomas Pavlovich Susi died. When the plane began to enter the tailspin, the pilot jumped out of the car, not having time to open the parachute.
Soon after the tragedy, a specially created commission drew up an act in which the cause of the crash was the destruction of the ring oil cooler, as the entire cabin, as well as the pilot's face and overalls, were sprayed with oil.
Discontinuation
The next year another plane was built, but its tests ended quickly. At the beginning of July 1940, test pilot Proshakov made a mistake during the piloting and was forced to leave the board with a parachute. The next commission this time did not find any defects, and the pilot was completely responsible for the death of the car.
After this incident, another modification of the aircraft was built - I-180-Etalon. It underwent a number of changes, including the old M-87A engine being replaced with the new M-88A. Its estimated speed was to be 590 km / h, and when a more powerful M-89 engine was installed, it would have reached 650 km / h. But this is where the story of the I-180 ended, since in December of that year an order was issued to cease work on this aircraft. All unfinished cars that were put into production earlier went for scrapping. By that time, Soviet fighters of other types began to appear, which supplanted the failed project.
New fighter
The next development of the Polikarpov Design Bureau was the I-185 aircraft. By the sum of all its characteristics, this fighter was superior to both Soviet and foreign piston engines of that time. Several aircraft with various engines were built. November 18, 1942 they went to the state tests conducted by pilots P. M Stefanovsky. During flights, the aircraft showed excellent results and was recommended for launch in mass production.
On April 5, 1943, during the tests, the engine stopped, resulting in the death of pilot V.A. Stepanchonok. According to all reports, this tragedy became fatal for the I-185 aircraft - it was never put into production, and instead, La-5FN was assembled at the plant. After this, the Design Bureau developed another aircraft - I-188, but soon all work was stopped due to the death of the chief designer N. N. Polikarpov.