2A0A:EF40:18C:2601:59BA:76C4:7B65:6ADE: /* Biography */

2025-05-26T15:20:36Z

Biography

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{{Short description|Soviet Air Force airman (1916–1986)}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Ivan Chisov
| birth_date = 1916
| death_date = {{death date and age|1986|||1916||}}
| birth_place = Bogdanovka, [[Poltava Raion]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_place = [[Moscow]], [[Soviet Union]]
| allegiance = {{USSR|Soviet Union}}
| branch = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Soviet Air Force.svg}} [[Soviet Air Forces|Soviet Air Force]]
| rank = [[Podpolkovnik]]
| unit = 98th Long-range Aviation Regiment
| battles = [[Second World War]]
| serviceyears = 1941{{endash}}1960
| image =
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_label =
| awards = [[Order of the Red Banner]]
}}
'''Ivan Mikhailovich Chisov''' ({{langx|ru|Иван Михайлович Чиcсов}}, {{langx|uk|Іван Михайлович Чиссов}}; 1916–1986) was a [[Soviet Airforce|Soviet Air Force]] lieutenant who survived a fall of approximately 7,000 meters (23,000 feet).

==Biography==
Lieutenant Colonel Chisov was a navigator on a [[Soviet Airforce|Soviet Air Force]] [[Ilyushin Il-4]] bomber. On 21 January 1942, ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' fighters attacked his bomber, forcing him to bail out. [[Nikolai Zhugan]], a crewman on Chisov's flight, later said that Chisov leapt from the plane at an altitude of approximately 7,000 meters (23,000 feet), though other references list Chisov's fall at 6,700 meters. Zhugan himself waited until the plane was at about 5,000 meters before bailing out.

With the air battle still raging around him, Chisov intentionally did not open his parachute, as he feared that doing so would make him an easy target for German gunfire while dangling from his parachute harness. He planned to drop below the level of the battle and open his chute once he was out of sight of the fighters. Due to the thin atmosphere at that altitude, however, he lost consciousness and was unable to pull the rip cord.

Chisov struck the edge of a snowy ravine at an estimated speed of between {{convert|190|and|240|km/h|abbr=on}}, then slid, rolled, and ploughed his way to the bottom. The aerial battle had been seen by cavalry commander General [[Pavel Alexeyevich Belov]]. When Chisov was seen falling to the ground, cavalrymen rushed to the site, and were surprised to find Chisov alive, still wearing his unopened parachute. Chisov regained consciousness a short time later.

Chisov suffered severe injuries, including spinal injuries and a broken pelvis. He was immediately operated on and was in critical condition for a month following. Despite his injuries, he was able to fly again three months later.<ref>"Aviation's most wanted: the top 10 book of winged wonders, lucky landings, and other aerial oddities" By Steven A. Ruffin, Darek Johnson, Published by Brassey's, 2005</ref> He requested to continue flying combat missions, but was instead sent to become a navigational trainer.

Chisov flew over 70 combat missions during the course of his career.

After the war, he graduated from the Military-Political Academy. On his departure from the reserve, he became a propagandist for the Central House of the Soviet Army.

==Awards==
* [[Order of the Red Banner]] (23.07.1943)
* [[Order of the Patriotic War]] 1st class (1985)
* [[Medal "For the Defence of Moscow"]]
* [[Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad"]]
* [[Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]]
* [[Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]]
* [[Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]]
* [[Jubilee Medal "Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]]

[[File:Ivan Chisov Order Of The Red Banner Document 1942.jpg|thumb|Order of the Red Banner citation.]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
; Fall survivors
* [[Nicholas Alkemade]], British bomber tailgunner who survived falling from his burning [[Avro Lancaster B Mk. II]] in 1944
* [[Juliane Koepcke]], who survived a 3 kilometre fall after her [[LANSA Flight 508|Lockheed Electra]] flight broke up over the Peruvian Amazon in 1971
* [[Alan Magee]], American, World War II airman who survived a 22,000-foot (6,700 m) fall from his damaged [[B-17F Flying Fortress]] in 1943
* [[Vesna Vulović]], Serbian flight attendant who survived the mid-air breakup of [[JAT Flight 367|her McDonnell Douglas DC-9 in 1972]]
; Other
* [[Freefall]]
* [[List of sole survivors of aviation accidents or incidents]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Gunbin NA ''In the stormy sky''. Yaroslavl: Upper Volga. the book. Press, 1984.
* Golovanov, AE Long-range bombers. Moscow: OOO "Delta National Bank," 2004.
* DB Khazanov ''An unknown battle in the skies of Moscow in 1941–1942''. Counterattack. Moscow: Publishing House "Technology Youth," 2001.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chisov, I.M.}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:Fall survivors]]
[[Category:Soviet Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Shot-down aviators]]
[[Category:Soviet military personnel of World War II]]

Ivan Chisov - Revision history

2A0A:EF40:18C:2601:59BA:76C4:7B65:6ADE: /* Biography */