A Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 has crashed on Friday near Moscow, killing all three crew members on board. The aircraft belonged to Gazprom Avia, a carrier owned by the Russian state-controlled natural gas giant.
The Sukhoi Superjet was on a test flight following repairs when it went down in a forested area of the Kolomensky District, about 60 kilometres southeast of the capital. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the plane had taken off from an aircraft plant in Lukhovitsy and was heading to Moscow Vnukovo airport when it crashed.
“According to preliminary information, three pilots were killed. All those on board. There were no casualties among the population,” the ministry told RIA news in a short statement on Friday.
This is the third major incident involving the Superjet 100, which has faced several safety and maintenance issues since its introduction in 2011. Previous crashes include a 2012 demonstration flight in Indonesia and a 2019 crash at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. The 2012 crash happened after a Sukhoi Superjet 100 collided with Mount Salak in Indonesia. The crash resulted in the deaths of all 37 passengers and eight crew members on board.
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the latest crash, and the cause remains under investigation.
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