MOSCOW, June 9. /TASS/. A technical fault is the likely cause of a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet’s crash in the Moscow Region, the press office of the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
"According to preliminary data, a technical failure caused the crash of the Su-27 plane of the Russian Aerospace Force," the press office said in a statement.
The pilot performed all the necessary operations to divert the plane from a populated area, the press office said.
"The pilot had no time for ejecting," the Defense Ministry said.
A Defense Ministry commission is working at the crash site, the press office said.
A Su-27 fighter jet from the Russian Knights aerobatic team crashed in the Moscow Region on Thursday.
The Russian Knights planes were taking part in a ceremony of opening a monument to aviators at Ashukino in the Pushkino district. Six planes of the aerobatic team flew over Ashukino and only five of them returned to the aerodrome.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed earlier on Thursday the Su-27 fighter jet’s crash and the pilot’s death.
According to the Defense Ministry, the plane crashed while returning to the airfield during a planned flight without an ammunition load. A source in law-enforcement agencies told TASS that the crashed plane had been piloted by Major Sergei Yeryomenko.
"The pilot had no time for ejecting," the Defense Ministry said.
A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter aircraft of the Russian Knights aerobatic team crashed near the village of Muranovo in the Moscow Region on Thursday morning. The pilot was killed in the crash.