Unfortunately, one final problem occurred. The drag chute deployed successfully, but due to a failure of a pressure sensor, the main parachute would not deploy. Colonel Komarov released the reserve chute, but it became tangled with the drag chute.
The Soyuz 1 craft crashed into a field near Orenburg at 7 am on April 24, 1967. Komarov did not survive the tragic ending to the mission.
Komarov's ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall in a massive ceremony.
Rumors
Komarov's backup for this mission was first man in space, Yuri Gagarin. The two men were also good friends. Both believed the mission was doomed to failure even before launch. Rumor number one says that Colonel Komarov said, "If I don't make this flight, they'll send the backup pilot instead. That's Yuri, and he'll die instead of me." So he determined to be the mission pilot.
Rumour number two says that Gagarin was very upset at the Communist party after Komarov died, believing the mission had been rushed for political purposes. It is rumored he said, "...if I ever find out he (Brezhnev) knew about the situation and still let everything happen, then I know exactly what I'm going to do." The rumor that he threw a glass of champagne in Brezhnev's face at a reception has been corroborated by several sources.
The final rumor comes from those who worked at US listening posts in Turkey. They said that Komarov was infuriated by the balky spacecraft, and died while still cursing those who had sent him in such an unready piece of equipment.