spaceplasma:

Yuri Gagarin’s cause of death made public

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin died in mysterious circumstances in March 1968, but the cause of the first man in space’s death has finally been revealed.

For more than 20 years, according to Russia Today, Gagarin’s colleague and the first man to conduct a spacewalk Aleksey Leonov, has been attempting to gain permission to disclose details about what happened. He has now finally be allowed.

The official report at the time concluded that Gagarin and his instructor, Vladimir Seryogin, attempted to avoid an object in the air — geese or a hot air balloon — by perming a manoeuvre that led to a tailspin and collision with the ground.

However, Leonov says things weren’t quite that simple. Another jet was flying dangerously close to Gagarin’s craft, in extremely bad weather. The jet’s passage pushed Gagarin’s plane into a tailspin forcing it to crash.

It’s unknown who was piloting the other jet — that information has been kept confidential as the individual is still alive, albeit in poor health. “I was asked not to disclose the pilot’s name. He is a good test pilot. It will fix nothing,” Leonov said.

The full story can be found over at Russia Today.

Credit: Duncan Geere