Agency Report

Moscow – Three people have died after a Russian passenger plane carrying only limited crew crashed near Moscow on Friday, the country’s emergency ministry has said.

The Sukhoi Superjet crashed in woodland near the city of Kolomna, according to the ministry.

Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.

Russia’s emergency ministry said the plane took off from an aircraft-making plant at Lukhovitsy 110 kilometers southeast of the Russian capital where it had undergone repairs.

It was heading to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport when it crashed, they added.

State-owned producer United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said the plane had been on a test flight after repairs and belonged to Gazpromavia, an airline owned by gas giant Gazprom.

Russian airlines have struggled to import spare parts for aircraft since Western sanctions were introduced in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

UAC is developing a fully import-substituted version of the Sukhoi Superjet, but its production has not yet begun.

It is the third time that a Sukhoi Superjet has crashed since the aircraft was introduced in 2008.

Around 150 of the aircraft are currently in operation.

The first crash occurred during a demonstration flight in Indonesia, in which 45 people were killed.

An investigation later revealed that the crew was unaware of high ground and ignored signals from the terrain warning system while flying in thick clouds

The second jet crashed while landing at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, killing 41. It was struck by lightning and made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.

High maintenance costs and a poor safety record have made many Russian carriers reluctant to buy the jet.

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