Photos released of first man in space’s fatal crash

Lazy eyes listen

NewsRescue

On Monday, the Russian State Archive released the first photographs of the site where the world’s first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, died.

The space pioneer was killed in a plane crash 55 years ago, along with renowned test pilot and WWII veteran Vladimir Seregin. The two were piloting a Mig-15UTI trainer jet when it crashed on March 27, 1968, during a routine flight in Russia’s Vladimir Region.

They were killed on the spot, as the plane disintegrated upon impact. The official cause of the crash was never revealed, giving rise to a slew of theories ranging from a piloting error or a collision with a weather balloon to KGB involvement and even a UFO encounter.

The previously unseen photos, taken the next day by the investigating commission, show mangled pieces of the plane scattered at the crash site – but they do little to shed light on the tragic death of the first cosmonaut.