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| USSR-B10 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Non-rigid airship |
| Manufacturer | Commissariat of the Defense Industry of the USSR |
| First flight | 14 January 1938 |
| Status | Destroyed in crash on 6 August 1938 |
| Produced | 1937 |
| Number built | 1 |
The USSR-B10 was a Soviet airship of the non-rigid type, constructed at Plant No. 207 of the Commissariat of the Defense Industry of the USSR (until August 1936, known as the shipyard of the Dirizhablestroy), located in the workers' settlement (now the city) of Dolgoprudny. The airship, with a volume of 3,600 m3, was intended for training and crew exercises.
The identification mark of the airship was "СССР-В10" ("USSR-B10"). However, in most documents of that time, as well as in literature, the incorrect spelling "CCCP B-10" became established.
The construction of "USSR-B10" was completed in 1937. The first flight took place on January 14, 1938, and lasted 2 hours. The airship was commanded by V. A. Ustinovich.
On August 6, 1938, "USSR-B10" was supposed to vacate its parking spot in Dolgoprudny for the airship "USSR-B8," which was arriving from Leningrad for scheduled hydrogen replacement. Early in the morning, the airship was hurriedly sent on a flight. The crew consisted of E. M. Oppman (commander), M. V. Vasilevsky (assistant commander), L. D. Krestov (flight engineer), I. I. Zheglov (senior flight mechanic), V. G. Platonov (flight mechanic), V. A. Sidorov (flight radio operator), and S. V. Nikitin (pilot).
The day turned out to be cloudless and hot; the hydrogen in the airship's envelope heated up and expanded. The gas valves, which were supposed to automatically release excess gas in such cases, did not function, causing the envelope of the airship to burst at an altitude of 250 meters.[1] The airship began to rapidly lose altitude. E. Oppman ordered the engines to be stopped and the ballast to be jettisoned, but the airship continued its uncontrolled descent. M. Vasilevsky and I. Zheglov jumped out with parachutes, but they did not open due to insufficient altitude.
Forty seconds after the descent began, "USSR-B10" crashed into the ground near Beskudnikovo, close to the village of Slobodka, approximately where Dekabristov Street intersects with Altufyevskoye Highway. All those on board the airship perished.
To this day, it is believed that the tragedy was caused by plugs that were forgotten to be removed from the gas valves before the airship's departure. There were also rumors that someone had intentionally jammed the valves. However, the "sabotage" version found no confirmation, and the plugs could not have been the cause of the disaster, as they were fundamentally not part of the gas valve design. Most likely, the misalignment of the valves resulted from the fact that due to the lack of hangar space, the airship was kept outdoors for about two months before its final flight.[2]
They were buried on August 9 at Novodevichy Cemetery. On April 22, 2014, by resolution of the Moscow Government, the mass grave of the crew members of the USSR-B10 airship was placed under protection as a cultural heritage site of regional significance.[3]