MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. A Sukhoi Superjet-100 plane that crashed near Moscow last week did perform a mandatory post-overhaul flight, sources in aviation circles have told TASS.

"According to preliminary information, the plane has not been on a flight, which is mandatory after a major overhaul at a plant," one source said.

According to open sources, the aircraft’s previous flight occurred on May 3, 2024.

A post-overhaul control flight needs to be carried out by a team of test pilots, who are trained to notice technical problems that are not immediately evident.

"An ordinary crew may not notice and identify a technical problem in time, unlike an acceptance crew, whose members are trained to respond to a wide range of situations," a source said.

On the afternoon of July 12, a Sukhoi SuperJet 100 (SSJ 100) owned by the Gazpromavia Aviation Company took to the skies after an overhaul at the Lukhovitsy plant heading to Vnukovo Airport, but crashed in a forest near the village of Bolshoye Karasevo in the Kolomna urban district outside Moscow. The crew of three pilots, who were on board of the aircraft, were killed in the incident.

News has been corrected (6:34 Moscow) - changed headline, recasted throughout