Chapaev was actually Chepaev. He was a Russified Mordvin.

He grew his famous mustache to hide the scar from the Austrian bullet that disfigured his upper lip.

Chapaev never rode a horse.

Chapaev drove a Ford. Or on a motorcycle. He was not a cavalryman, but an infantryman. And his division was infantry. In general, Chapay loved technology. He had armored cars in his division, which he collected from the battlefield and lovingly repaired. He even had two airplanes in his division. Which he captured as a trophy from the Kolchakites. Together with pilots and mechanics. Which he recruited into his division, giving them all kinds of privileges.

Chapaev was listed as a bandit by Frunze and Trotsky.

For negotiations with him, the house for negotiations was chosen not far from the railway. And Trotsky or Frunze pointed the guns of their armored train at the house and declared that when Chapaev and his retinue left the house separately from the negotiators appointed from the front command, the armored train would open fire from guns to destroy both the house and Chapaev and his retinue.

Chapaev had a difficult and neglected relationship with his wives. There were several of them. And at the same time, he pestered the wife of the commissar of the front appointed to him by the commissar Furman (the writer Furmanov later), which generated a constant conflict between them and ultimately forced Furman to leave the Chapaev division.

For those who have not yet watched the gorgeous program about Chapaev with my participation, as well as for those who have already seen it, there are several unknown facts from Chapaev's life.

The elder brother of Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev (in total there were 9 children in their family), Mikhail Ivanovich, married a merchant's daughter. He did not marry for love, but in the hope of getting out of poverty with the help of the capital of a merchant of the second guild. Father Ivan Stepanovich cursed his eldest son for being greedy and forgot about him.

Vasily Ivanovich was very worried about this family quarrel, he thought for a long time how to get his brother back on the right path. Knowing about the greed and greed of his brother, he suggested that Mikhail urgently sell his shops, and invest the money at very high interest rates in an English club that opened in Saratov for the local rich. After lengthy hesitation, Mikhail sold the shops and gave the money to Vasily Ivanovich so that he could invest it at interest or buy the club's shares, which would open a bright path to a successful future :).
Vasily Ivanovich took the money, but invested it not in the shares of the English club, but in the development of the Red Cross and helping the poor class. When Mikhail Ivanovich, without waiting for the arrival :), came to smash the house of Vasily Ivanovich, by a lucky coincidence he did not find his brother at home, but ran into his father's fist.

Having learned about the anger of his older brother, Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev said with a laugh that Mikhail would then be grateful to him all his life for the bloodless dispossession of kulaks (it was mid-1917). As if he looked into the water ... The new government had no complaints about the poor Mikhail Ivanovich Chapaev, and he himself later thanked his brother for such "expropriation" ...

By the way, of the 9 children of Ivan Chapaev, the only one who died a natural death and lived to a ripe old age is the "dispossessed" Mikhail Ivanovich;)

And still little-known facts from the life of Chapaev, or rather, his family and close entourage.

Maria Andreevna Popova - the prototype of the famous "Anka the machine gunner". After the end of the civil war, she graduated from diplomatic courses and was sent together with Alexandra Kollontai to Sweden. Then she worked for a long time in pre-war Germany, knew Hitler, Himmler, Bormann well personally. She died at a ripe old age in 1981.

Petr Semenovich Isaev - "Petka". He died in 1920 under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind his wife and two children. In 1934, after the release of the film "Chapaev", his wife, seeing how the screen Petka was having an affair with a machine gunner in the film, could not bear the shame and hanged herself. Relatives who tried to dissuade her from such a step spoke of fictional fiction, but the persuasion did not work. Before her death, she said that her beloved had been slandered. The daughter did not recover from the suicide of her mother and also soon died: ((The son remained, who since then hated everything that was associated with the name of Chapaev.

Pelageya Metlina-Chapaeva is Chapaev's first and only legal wife. She died shortly after the death of Vasily Ivanovich. Upon learning that he was dead, she decided to take the children who lived with his parents. Went across the Volga, but, crossing, fell into the wormwood, caught a cold and died.

Pelageya Kamishkertseva is the second, common-law wife of Chapaev. Even during his lifetime, she left him for a certain Zhivozhinov, the head of an artillery warehouse. After the death of Chapaev, Zhivolozhinov arranged custody of his children, Alexander, Claudia and Arkady (to receive a pension). How the Chapayev children lived with their stepmother and stepfather is evidenced by the fact that Zhivozhinov made it a rule to shoot off the ends of their hair while eating, so that they would certainly hit the plate. Some time later, he left Kamishkertseva, who then moved with her mind and ended her life in a psychiatric hospital.

Klavdia Vasilievna Chapaeva is the middle daughter of the division commander. She studied at the Samara Construction Institute, from where she was delegated to Moscow for an appointment with the People's Commissar of the food industry A.I. Mikoyan - she was obliged to procure permission from him to give the institute his name and ask for money for this business. Mikoyan accepted her, talked with her for 4 hours about her father, wartime and her life, gave money to the Samara Construction Institute, and voluntarily transferred Claudia herself from the third year of the Samara Construction Institute to the first course of the Moscow Food Institute :)) ... Later it was Claudia collected a complete documentary archive about her father. She died quite recently, in 1999.

Arkady Vasilievich Chapaev is the youngest son of V.I. Chapaev. At the age of 18, he was elected a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, graduated from the flight school, flew with Valery Chkalov.
However, he was unlucky with his wife, who tormented him with causeless jealousy. Once Arkady went flying after another family scene and lost control. The plane crashed into the ground - 12 meters deep, the deceased Arkady had to be cut out with an autogenous blowtorch. He was only 27 years old.

PS It is noteworthy that the personality of Chapaev is being discussed, but his affairs are not.

Arkady Vasilievich Chapaev(August 12, 1914, Melekess - July 7, 1939, Borisoglebsk Voronezh region) - Soviet military pilot, flight commander of the 90th heavy bomber squadron of the Red Army Air Force, captain (1939, posthumously), member of the Central Executive Committee of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the Volga Germans. The youngest son of the legendary hero of the Civil War - Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev.

Biography

Arkady was born on August 12, 1914 (according to other data in 1912) in the city of Melekess (now the city of Dimitrovgrad) in the family of Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev and his wife, the priest's daughter Pelageya Nikanorovna Metlina. In addition to Arkady, there were other children in the family, brother Alexander and sister Klavdia.

Father, V.I.Chapaev, was often on the road, after the service, so Pelageya raised her children alone.

In the spring of 1914, my father went to the front, where he died on September 5, 1919. Following his father, his mother also died.

Arkady, his brother and sister, was brought up by the widow of his father's close comrade, Pelageya Kamishkertsev. Living in the Kamishkertseva family, Arkady successfully graduated from school.

Aviation service and politics

As a boy, Arkady fell in love with aviation. While studying at school, he attended an aviation club and, being a seventh grader, made his first flight, on a glider, as a passenger.

After school, Arkady entered the Leningrad Military-Theoretical Pilot School of the Red Army Air Force, then at the military pilot school in the city of Engels.

During his studies, Arkady began to actively engage in social work, combining it with excellent studies. He was elected a deputy of the city council of Engels (at that time the capital of the autonomous republic of the Volga Germans). According to archival information, the bureau of the Engels City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks recommended Arkady Chapaev as a candidate for membership in the Government of the Nemrespublika. In addition, Arkady was a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of the Volga Germans.

At the beginning of 1935, the 7th All-Union Congress of Soviets was held in Moscow. The Nemrespublika sent Arkady Chapaev as a delegate to the congress. During the break, Arkady was summoned for a conversation with JV Stalin. During the conversation, Stalin asked how the family of the renowned commander was doing and promised to provide assistance.

Arkady did not like to spend time idly, traveled a lot around the country and at meetings with workers, collective farmers, young people talked about his heroic father, about the battle path of the Chapaevsk division. I spoke on the same topic in print.

After graduating from the pilot school, and until the end of March 1937, A. Chapaev served as a junior pilot in the 89th heavy bomber squadron. Six months later, the commander of a bomber in the 90th squadron, and a year later - the commander of a flight of heavy bombers.

In the fall of 1938, Arkady Chapaev entered the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy of the Red Army, where he was closely engaged in flight practice and testing of new technology. Here Arkady met many outstanding pilots of that time. He maintained very warm relations with V.P. Chkalov and A.V. Belyakov.

Together with Chkalov, Arkady participated in the development of new test flight schemes. He was very interested in new, promising aviation developments, in particular, he was attracted by the idea of ​​gyroplanes.

When Chkalov died on December 15, 1938, Arkady Chapaev was entrusted with delivering this bitter news to his family. Naturally, the death of a friend left an indelible impression in the soul of Arkady himself; Arkady lived with Chkalov in the same entrance and communicated with him every day.

The death of the pilot

At the end of June 1939, A. Chapaev was sent to Borisoglebsk, to the base of the Borisoglebsk flight school, for practical training. On July 7, young pilots, for transfer to the second year, had to pass the flight skills technique to the examination committee.

Arkady flew to the task stipulated by the training program in an I-16 fighter. His test flight was initially flawless. The pilot performed aerobatics one after another. But suddenly, unexpectedly, the plane fell into a tailspin and crashed into Lake Bolshoi Ilmen.

The lake is shallow, but the speed with which the plane was falling was such that with all its mass and together with the pilot, it went deep into the muddy bottom. The plane was pulled out with cables and ropes, and the body of Arkady was cut out of the flattened cockpit using an autogen.

The sights of this city rarely attract tourists, although Borisoglebsk is included in the list of historical cities of Russia. And few people know that Arkady Vasilyevich Chapaev, the youngest son of the famous commander of the Civil War, spent his last days in this small cozy town.

A.V. was born. Chapaev on August 12, 1914 in the city of Melekess. Arkady was five years old when his father died. Arkady was predicted a bright future. It was said of him that he was a handsome young man, and in noble manners resembled his famous father. From a young age, he raved about aviation, being a seventh-grader, made his first flight as part of an air circle, however, on a glider and as a passenger.

After graduating from a regular school, Arkady entered the Leningrad Military-Theoretical Pilot School of the Red Army Air Force, and then - at the military pilot school in the city of Engels. During his studies, he was actively involved in social work. As evidenced by the characteristics, he was an excellent student in everything: in discipline, study, flights. He was elected a deputy of the city council. The city of Engels was then the capital of the autonomous republic of the Volga Germans.

According to archival information, the bureau of the Engels City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks recommended Arkady Chapaev as a candidate member of the Government of the German Republic. He was not an ordinary deputy, but a member of the Central Executive Republican Committee.

At the beginning of 1935, the Seventh All-Union Congress of Deputies was held in Moscow. The Nemrespublika also sent Arkady Chapaev as a delegate to the congress. In total, more than two thousand delegates gathered at this forum. Stalin was looking through the general list and saw the famous surname. I found out: this twenty-year-old guy is the son of the legendary Chapay! The leader advised to put Arkady on the presidium of the congress. And during the break, he called to him for a conversation. In the museum of Saratov, a large-circulation number of a local factory has been preserved, which briefly described the meeting between the leader and the youngest son of the famous commander of the Civil War. Stalin recalled the exploits of Vasily Ivanovich, asked how Arkady himself, his older brother and sister lived.

Until the end of March 1937 A.V. Chapaev, a flight school graduate, was listed as a junior pilot of the 89th heavy bomber squadron. A year later, he became the commander of a heavy bomber in the 90th squadron.

In the fall of 1938, Arkady Chapaev entered the N.E. Zhukovsky, where he is closely engaged in flight practice and testing of new technology. Here he met many of the outstanding pilots of the time.

He maintained very warm relations with Valery Chkalov. They were not only friends, but also lived in the same house in Moscow, on Zemlyanoy Val. Together they participated in the development of new test flight procedures. By the way, Chapaev Jr. was the first to inform the Chkalov family about the death of Valery Pavlovich - it happened on December 15, 1938. The death of a friend left a heavy mark on the soul of Arkady himself.

Chapaev often traveled around the country, met with pioneers in "Artek", with soldiers and officers in military units, spoke in labor collectives. He talked about his heroic father. Arkady Chapaev was not at all burdened by the glory of his father, about whom by that time dozens of books had been written and the famous film was shot. Arkady, of course, was proud of this. But every time he emphasized: the film is an art, the reality was completely different, maybe even more heroic and dramatic.

Arkady could have become a hero of his time, if not for the tragedy ...

At that time, Chapaev Jr. was in Borisoglebsk. As a student of the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, he passed flight practice at the aviation school, which his late friend Valery Chkalov graduated from in due time, and which already then was awarded the right to be called after the name of the Soviet ace. Chapaev was finishing the first year, and in order to transfer to the second he had to, after the training flights, show the examination committee his test flight.

Arkady flew to the task stipulated by the training program in an I-16 fighter.

This aircraft was considered a reliable machine, proven in a combat situation: in the skies of Spain, engulfed in the civil war, Soviet volunteer pilots on the I-16 worked miracles, on their account there were many shot down German and Italian aircraft. The flight of Arkady Chapaev went flawlessly at first. The pilot performed aerobatics one after another. But suddenly, unexpectedly, the plane fell into a tailspin.

The death of a friend was seen by a classmate Leonid Goreglyad

"Jump, jump!" - we shouted, - Leonid Ivanovich wrote in his memoirs. "But Arkady tried to get the plane out of the spin. It seemed that he was close to the target. The fighter even came out of the left spin, but immediately entered the right one ... So, trying to save the car, Arkady Chapaev died."

After some time, information came in - I-16 fell into Lake Ilmen (today - Povorinsky district of Voronezh region).

The lake is shallow, and the speed with which the plane fell was such that with all its mass and together with the pilot, it went deep into the muddy bottom. The plane was pulled out with cables and ropes, and the body of Arkady was cut out from the flattened cockpit using an autogen.

The circumstances of the death of Arkady Chapaev were studied by a special commission, but to date it has not been possible to find its materials. So far it is known that there is an emergency act, where Arkady Chapaev is characterized as: “A pilot of exemplary discipline, organized in his work ... He is always neat, tidy. Married. Flight performance is good and excellent. I had no health complaints before the flight. He was cheerful. "

Three days after his death, People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Kliment Voroshilov signed order No. 02900, which says: “Senior Lieutenant Arkady Vasilyevich Chapaev, a first-year student of the command faculty of the Red Army Air Force Academy, should be awarded the military rank of“ captain ”.

So in the sky over Borisoglebsk, where Valery Chkalov learned to fly, the life of his comrade Arkady Chapaev was cut short.

A.V. Chapaev was buried with military honors at the city cemetery. A monument was erected on the grave, designed by the architect Vladimir Tuchin.

The inscription on the monument: "flew on 07/07/1939 on I-16 fighters, the engine failed, the pilot tried to turn the falling plane away from the settlement. He died, but saved people."

2010-2016 "Military Review"

And few people know that Arkady Vasilyevich Chapaev, the youngest son of the famous commander of the Civil War, spent his last days in this small cozy town.

A.V. was born. Chapaev on August 12, 1914 in the city of Melekess. Arkady was five years old when his father died. Arkady was predicted a bright future. It was said about him that he was a handsome young man, and in noble manners resembled his famous father. From a young age he raved about aviation, being a seventh grader, made his first flight as part of an air circle, however, on a glider and as a passenger.

After graduating from a regular school, Arkady entered the Leningrad Military-Theoretical Pilot School of the Red Army Air Force, and then - at the military pilot school in the city of Engels. During his studies, he was actively involved in social work. As evidenced by the characteristics, he was an excellent student in everything: in discipline, study, flights. He was elected a deputy of the city council. The city of Engels was then the capital of the autonomous republic of the Volga Germans.

According to archival information, the bureau of the Engels City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks recommended Arkady Chapaev as a candidate member of the Government of the German Republic. He was not an ordinary deputy, but a member of the Central Executive Republican Committee.

At the beginning of 1935, the Seventh All-Union Congress of Deputies was held in Moscow. The Nemrespublika also sent Arkady Chapaev as a delegate to the congress. In total, more than two thousand delegates gathered at this forum. Stalin looked through the general list and saw the famous surname. I found out: this twenty-year-old guy is the son of the legendary Chapay! The leader advised to put Arkady on the presidium of the congress. And during the break he invited me to talk to him. In the museum of Saratov, a large-circulation number of a local factory has been preserved, which briefly described the meeting between the leader and the youngest son of the famous commander of the Civil War. Stalin recalled the exploits of Vasily Ivanovich, asked how Arkady himself, his older brother and sister lived. Until the end of March 1937 A.V. Chapaev, a flight school graduate, was listed as a junior pilot of the 89th heavy bomber squadron. A year later, he became the commander of a heavy bomber in the 90th squadron. In the fall of 1938, Arkady Chapaev entered the N.E. Zhukovsky, where he is closely engaged in flight practice and testing of new technology. Here he meets many of the outstanding pilots of the time. He maintained very warm relations with Valery Chkalov. They were not only friends, but also lived in the same house in Moscow, on Zemlyanoy Val. Together they took part in the development of new test flight procedures. By the way, Chapaev Jr. was the first to inform the Chkalov family about the death of Valery Pavlovich - it happened on December 15, 1938. The death of a friend left a heavy mark on the soul of Arkady himself. Chapaev often traveled around the country, met with pioneers in "Artek", with soldiers and officers in military units, spoke in labor collectives. He talked about his heroic father. Arkady Chapaev was not at all burdened by the glory of his father, about whom by that time dozens of books had been written and the famous film was shot. Arkady, of course, was proud of this. But every time he emphasized: the film is an art, the reality was completely different, maybe even more heroic and dramatic. Arkady could have become a hero of his time, if not for the tragedy ... At that time, Chapaev Jr. was in Borisoglebsk. As a student of the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, he passed flight practice at the aviation school, which his late friend Valery Chkalov graduated from in due time, and which already then was awarded the right to be called after the name of the Soviet ace. Chapaev was finishing the first year, and in order to transfer to the second he had to, after the training flights, show the examination committee his test flight.

Arkady flew to the task stipulated by the training program in an I-16 fighter.

This aircraft was considered a reliable machine, proven in a combat situation: in the skies of Spain, engulfed in the civil war, Soviet volunteer pilots on the I-16 worked miracles, on their account there were many shot down German and Italian aircraft. The flight of Arkady Chapaev went flawlessly at first. The pilot performed aerobatics one after another. But all of a sudden, the plane went into a tailspin. The death of a friend was seen by his classmate Leonid Goreglyad. "Jump, jump!" - we shouted, - Leonid Ivanovich wrote in his memoirs. “But Arkady tried to get the plane out of a tailspin. He seemed to be close to his goal. The fighter even got out of the left spin, but immediately entered the right one ... So, trying to save the car, Arkady Chapaev died. " After some time, information came in - I-16 fell into Lake Ilmen (today - Povorinsky district of Voronezh region).

The lake is shallow, and the speed with which the plane fell was such that with all its mass and together with the pilot, it went deep into the muddy bottom. The plane was pulled out with cables and ropes, and the body of Arkady was cut out from the flattened cockpit using an autogen.

The circumstances of the death of Arkady Chapaev were studied by a special commission, but so far it has not been possible to find its materials. So far it is known that there is an emergency act, where Arkady Chapaev is characterized as: “A pilot of exemplary discipline, organized in his work ... He is always tidy, smart. Married. Flight performance is good and excellent. I had no health complaints before the flight. He was cheerful. " Three days after his death, People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Kliment Voroshilov signed order number 02900, which says: “First-year student of the command faculty of the Red Army Air Force Academy, Senior Lieutenant Arkady Vasilyevich Chapaev, shall be awarded the military rank of“ captain ”. So in the sky over Borisoglebsk, where Valery Chkalov learned to fly, the life of his comrade Arkady Chapaev was cut short. A.V. Chapaev was buried with military honors at the city cemetery. A monument was erected on the grave, designed by the architect Vladimir Tuchin.

On the monument there is an inscription: “flew on 07.07.1939 on Il-16 fighters, the engine failed, the pilot tried to turn the falling plane away from the settlement. He himself died, but saved people. "

The sights of this city rarely attract tourists, although Borisoglebsk is included in the list of historical cities of Russia. And few people know that Arkady Vasilyevich Chapaev, the youngest son of the famous commander of the Civil War, spent his last days in this small cozy town.

A.V. was born. Chapaev on August 12, 1914 in the city of Melekess. Arkady was five years old when his father died. Arkady was predicted a bright future. It was said about him that he was a handsome young man, and in noble manners resembled his famous father. From a young age he raved about aviation, being a seventh grader, made his first flight as part of an air circle, however, on a glider and as a passenger.

After graduating from a regular school, Arkady entered the Leningrad Military-Theoretical Pilot School of the Red Army Air Force, and then - at the military pilot school in the city of Engels. During his studies, he was actively involved in social work. As evidenced by the characteristics, he was an excellent student in everything: in discipline, study, flights. He was elected a deputy of the city council. The city of Engels was then the capital of the autonomous republic of the Volga Germans.

According to archival information, the bureau of the Engels City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks recommended Arkady Chapaev as a candidate member of the Government of the German Republic. He was not an ordinary deputy, but a member of the Central Executive Republican Committee.

At the beginning of 1935, the Seventh All-Union Congress of Deputies was held in Moscow. The Nemrespublika also sent Arkady Chapaev as a delegate to the congress. In total, more than two thousand delegates gathered at this forum. Stalin was looking through the general list and saw the famous surname. I found out: this twenty-year-old guy is the son of the legendary Chapay! The leader advised to put Arkady on the presidium of the congress. And during the break, he called to him for a conversation. In the museum of Saratov, a large-circulation number of a local factory has been preserved, which briefly described the meeting between the leader and the youngest son of the famous commander of the Civil War. Stalin recalled the exploits of Vasily Ivanovich, asked how Arkady himself, his older brother and sister lived.

Until the end of March 1937 A.V. Chapaev, a flight school graduate, was listed as a junior pilot of the 89th heavy bomber squadron. A year later, he became the commander of a heavy bomber in the 90th squadron.

In the fall of 1938, Arkady Chapaev entered the N.E. Zhukovsky, where he is closely engaged in flight practice and testing of new technology. Here he met many of the outstanding pilots of the time.

He maintained very warm relations with Valery Chkalov. They were not only friends, but also lived in the same house in Moscow, on Zemlyanoy Val. Together they participated in the development of new test flight procedures. By the way, Chapaev Jr. was the first to inform the Chkalov family about the death of Valery Pavlovich - it happened on December 15, 1938. The death of a friend left a heavy mark on the soul of Arkady himself.

Chapaev often traveled around the country, met with pioneers in "Artek", with soldiers and officers in military units, spoke in labor collectives. He talked about his heroic father. Arkady Chapaev was not at all burdened by the glory of his father, about whom by that time dozens of books had been written and the famous film was shot. Arkady, of course, was proud of this. But every time he emphasized: the film is an art, the reality was completely different, maybe even more heroic and dramatic.

Arkady could have become a hero of his time, if not for the tragedy ...

At that time, Chapaev Jr. was in Borisoglebsk. As a student of the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy, he passed flight practice at the aviation school, which his late friend Valery Chkalov graduated from in due time, and which already then was awarded the right to be called after the name of the Soviet ace. Chapaev was finishing the first year, and in order to transfer to the second he had to, after the training flights, show the examination committee his test flight.

Arkady flew to the task stipulated by the training program in an I-16 fighter.

This aircraft was considered a reliable machine, proven in a combat situation: in the skies of Spain, engulfed in the civil war, Soviet volunteer pilots on the I-16 worked miracles, on their account there were many shot down German and Italian aircraft. The flight of Arkady Chapaev went flawlessly at first. The pilot performed aerobatics one after another. But all of a sudden, the plane went into a tailspin.

The death of a friend was seen by his classmate Leonid Goreglyad.

"Jump, jump!" - we shouted, - Leonid Ivanovich wrote in his memoirs. "But Arkady tried to get the plane out of the spin. It seemed that he was close to the target. The fighter even came out of the left spin, but immediately entered the right one ... So, trying to save the car, Arkady Chapaev died."

After some time, information came in - I-16 fell into Lake Ilmen (today - Povorinsky district of Voronezh region).

The lake is shallow, and the speed with which the plane fell was such that with all its mass and together with the pilot, it went deep into the muddy bottom. The plane was pulled out with cables and ropes, and the body of Arkady was cut out from the flattened cockpit using an autogen.

The circumstances of the death of Arkady Chapaev were studied by a special commission, but to date it has not been possible to find its materials. So far it is known that there is an emergency act, where Arkady Chapaev is characterized as: “A pilot of exemplary discipline, organized in his work ... He is always neat, tidy. Married. Flight performance is good and excellent. I had no health complaints before the flight. He was cheerful. "

Three days after his death, People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR Kliment Voroshilov signed order No. 02900, which says: “Senior Lieutenant Arkady Vasilyevich Chapaev, a first-year student of the command faculty of the Red Army Air Force Academy, should be awarded the military rank of“ captain ”.

So in the sky over Borisoglebsk, where Valery Chkalov learned to fly, the life of his comrade Arkady Chapaev was cut short.

A.V. Chapaev was buried with military honors at the city cemetery. A monument was erected on the grave, designed by the architect Vladimir Tuchin.