Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Kozlov (; 5 November 1928  3 June 1973) was a Soviet test pilot who received the title Hero of the Soviet Union and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR for his work. As the co-pilot on the maiden flight of the Tu-144, he was one of very few pilots to fly the Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic airliner, and was given the honor of flying it at the Paris Airshow in 1973. However, his career as a pilot was cut short because he died when the Tu-144 crashed at the Paris Airshow; the causes of the crash remain disputed.

Early life
Kozlov was born on 5 November 1928 to a Russian family in Yezhevo village. He entered the military in 1946 and the following year he graduated from the Tambov Military Aviation School of Pilots. After graduating from the Kirovabad Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1951, he worked as a flight instructor, and in 1953 he became a member of the Communist Party. In 1955 he entered test pilot school, graduating in 1957.

Test pilot work
After graduating from test pilot school he began working for the Tupolev Design Bureau. There, he tested a variety of aircraft, including flying as the pilot-in-command on the maiden flight of the Tu-128 in 1961; he also flew a variety of tests on the Tu-16, Tu-22, Tu-22M, Tu-95, Tu-104, Tu-110, Tu-110B, Tu-114, Tu-124, Tu-134, and Tu-154. However, he is most known for his role in the testing of the Tu-144 supersonic airliner, serving as co-pilot for Eduard Yelyan on its maiden flight on 31 December 1968. Previously, he had graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1966 and spent a lot of time in the Tu-144 simulator before flying the aircraft. For his work as a test pilot he received several high honors including the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 22 July 1966 and Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR on 22 August 1972.

Death

Kozlov was chosen to pilot the Tu-144 registered СССР-77102 at the Paris Airshow in 1973. The flight plan for the Tu-144 had been modified at the last minute, leaving the crew less time to complete their demonstration. On 3 June, the last day of the airshow, the Tu-144 flew after Concorde did its demonstration flight. During the Tu-144 demonstration, Kozlov flew the plane low along Runway 060. For reasons that remain disputed, the plane suddenly maneuvered violently, first nose up towards a stall followed by a dive, resulting in a mid-air breakup of the aircraft, the remnants of which crashed on the French village of Goussainville, killing all on board the plane and several people on the ground. On 12 June 1973 he was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery along with the rest of the crew.

The exact cause of the crash remains disputed. Initial speculation suggested pilot error by the Tu-144 crew, suggesting that they may have tried to show maneuvers beyond what the aircraft could handle to show off the aircraft's capabilities in the midst of rivalry with Concorde, or alternatively, the possibility of improper configuration of the aircraft systems by the ground crew. However, later investigation led to the revelation of a French Mirage fighter flying very close to the designated flight path of the Tu-144, which the French government initially denied in its first report but eventually acknowledged to be present to photograph the TU-144's unique canards. Furthermore, it was revealed that the crew of Tu-144 were not informed that there would be another plane flying close to them, which could have easily startled them into making the sharp evasive maneuvers that led to the plane breaking up in mid-air.

Awards
 Hero of the Soviet Union (22 July 1966)
 Order of Lenin (22 July 1966)
 Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR (22 August 1972)
 Order of the October Revolution (26 April 1971)
 Two Order of the Red Star (31 July 1961 and 21 August 1984)
 jubilee medals

References

1928 births
1973 deaths
Heroes of the Soviet Union
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Recipients of the Order of the Red Star
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in France