Details about crash that killed 'first man in space' revealed

The speculations about the 1968 air crash of MiG-15 which killed the 'first man in space' Yuri Gagarin, have taken a fresh turn when fellow cosmonaut revealed details about the crash.

According to BBC, Alexey Leonov has claimed that an 'unauthorized' plane flew too close to Gagarin's fighter jet before sending it in a spin.

The crash killed Gagarin and his flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin when their jet went down 90 km from Moscow.

According to the report, Leonov has claimed that a Sukhoi fighter jet flew too close to Gagarin's jet disrupting its flight contrary to government investigation which concluded that the MiG-15 was trying to avoid a 'foreign object' like a goose or a hot air balloon.

Leonov said that the Su-15 violated the flight procedure as it was scheduled to fly on that day at an altitude of 10,000 meters or higher and not 450-500 meters.

The report said that Leonov who had been flying a helicopter the same day said that he heard two loud booms in the distance.

Leonov further said that one of the reasons for covering up the truth about the accident could be to hide the fact that such a lapse occurred so close to Moscow, the report added.