Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashes on test flight, all crew members perish

A Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner crashed during a test flight on Friday afternoon, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members on board.

The crash occurred in a forested area of the Kolomna district, southeast of Moscow, and has raised significant concerns about the safety of the aircraft model.

The ill-fated aircraft, which belonged to Russian gas giant Gazprom, was undergoing repairs and had taken off as part of a test flight. Typically designed to seat 87 to 98 passengers, the plane was carrying only three crew members at the time of the crash. According to officials, there were no passengers on board.

Emergency services were quickly dispatched to the crash site, and local authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash. The Russian Emergencies Ministry confirmed the incident, stating, “There were three crew members on the plane. According to preliminary information, they all died. There are no casualties among the population.”

Initially, TASS reported that the Sukhoi Superjet 100 had taken off from Zhukovsky airfield for a fly-by. However, it was later clarified that the jet had actually taken off from Lukovitsy airfield and was en route to Vnukovo International Airport. The confusion arose because another plane of the same type had taken off from Zhukovsky and was flying without incident.

The crashed aircraft was produced in 2014 and delivered to Gazprom in 2015, which has been its sole operator since.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency announced that the incident would be investigated by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), which operates under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Independent States, including several post-Soviet republics. Russian experts will also be involved in the investigation.

Videos circulating on social media show a plume of smoke rising from the crash site. Other clips depict ambulance and firefighter crews rushing to the area, with a helicopter hovering nearby. These visuals have further fueled public concern and speculation about the incident.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100, which made its maiden flight in 2008, has been involved in several crashes. The most recent significant incident occurred in 2019 at Sheremetyevo Airport, where a flight en route to the northern city of Murmansk had to return to Moscow after being struck by lightning. The jet made a crash landing and caught fire, resulting in the deaths of 41 people.