Still flying at 86 - Ukrainian pilot who survived Chernobyl disaster

Ukrainian military pilot Mykola Volkozub, who was deployed in a team to fly a helicopter over the reactor to measure the temperature and composition of gases after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, walks out of a Mi-8 helicopter at a military base in Kiev Region, Ukraine April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian military pilot Mykola Volkozub could barely move under the weight of a lead vest meant to protect him from radiation as he prepared for his first flight over the Chernobyl reactor after the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986.

Remembering the incident still brings tears to the eyes of Volkozub, who survived the risk of radiation poisoning to live to a ripe age of 86 and still supervises test pilots for Antonov, a state-run aircraft manufacturer.