UPDATE - Military plane crashes in Russia’s Irkutsk region, killing pilot

Russian Defense Ministry says most of the crew ejected but pilot was killed in incident

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday that a Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed during a training flight in the Irkutsk region of southeastern Siberia.

The pilot was killed while the other four members of the crew ejected, the ministry said in a statement.

The incident occurred in a remote area and resulted in no damage or casualties on the ground, it said.

The ministry attributed the cause of the accident to a technical malfunction.

A search and rescue team arrived on the scene and safely transported the survivors to their home airfield.

The Tu-22M3 bombers, part of the long-range aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, are a key component of Russia’s nuclear triad, along with submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Kaynak:

This news has been read 179 times in total