The Su-27 Flanker from the 6th Air Army, flying from St. Petersburg to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, crashed September 15, 2005 in the Baltic country after a navigation system failure. The pilot managed to eject safely and no one was hurt in the incident.
Major Valery Troyanov, 36, was put under house arrest at a Vilnius hotel because NATO member Lithuania suspected the plane was conducting a reconnaissance operation targeting the country's air defense system. He was released October 6 after Lithuanian prosecutors decided he had not violated the Baltic country's airspace deliberately.
"Troyanov tendered his resignation after a physical evaluation board established he was medically unfit to fly," Alexander Drobyshevsky said.
Major General Vladimir Sviridov, the commander of the 6th Air Army, signed Troyanov's resignation request September 19.
"Pilot Troyanov's fate is not an easy one," Sviridov told Russia's NTV channel. "He was declared medically unfit to fly and was resigned from the Armed Forces."
The major's pilot ranking was downgraded from pilot first-class to second-class following the accident because he had been negligent in an emergency, according to the Russian Air Force's commander, General of the Army Vladimir Mikhailov.
Six generals and 10 other senior officers were disciplined after the incident. Investigators found serious flaws in the organization, preparation of and support for the routine transfer of a group of planes from one airfield to another.
Russia paid Lithuania about 19,500 euros in compensation for damage caused by the crash.
