Russian officials have confirmed that a passenger plane carrying three crew members crashed near Moscow during a test flight, resulting in the tragic deaths of all three individuals.
According to a spokesperson from the operating department speaking to the Russian media TASS, the Sukhoi SuperJet 100 aircraft belonged to Gazprom, Russia’s natural gas industry company, and had recently undergone scheduled maintenance before the test flight on Friday. The three crew members on board were from Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company.
The Sukhoi SuperJet 100 took off from Zhukovsky Airport and was en route to Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. The purpose of this test flight was to ensure that all systems of the aircraft were functioning properly after maintenance. Zhukovsky Airport is a major aviation hub known for testing and aerospace research.
The Russian Emergency Services Department stated on Friday, July 12th, that the plane crashed in a wooded area near Moscow. Fortunately, there were no civilian casualties reported. Emergency service personnel have secured the crash site and are conducting an investigation into the incident.
According to reports from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostech revealed that the aircraft had been in operation since 2014. This marks the third aviation incident involving the Sukhoi SuperJet 100 since 2012.
Reported by Aviation24.be, the three crew members on board the plane were all experienced pilots responsible for assessing the performance and safety of the aircraft after maintenance.