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Pilot Taskaev spoke about saving the MiG-31M, for which he received the title Hero of Russia
Taskaev said that on that day he and the navigator were supposed to test a new rocket.
"This happened at very high speeds, high Mach numbers. When entering the launch area, the right engine mount broke," the pilot told RIA Novosti.
"A few seconds later, the sign 'Fire in the left engine' appeared on the instrument panel. This sign also had to be turned off," Taskaev added.
On the ground, the crew was ordered to eject, and the pilot "was able to get one to the point" and land safely at the airfield.
After this, the flight crew received state awards.
According to publicly available data, the MiG-31M was never produced in series and only a few prototypes exist.