MOSCOW, September 4. /ITAR-TASS/. A MiG-31 fighter plane crashed 25 km away from the city of Armavir, southern Russia, on Thursday. Both pilots bailed out. They are alive. Nobody was hurt and there was no damage on the ground, according to Russian Defense Ministry’s spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.

The incident occurred at 07:38 Moscow time (03:38 UTC). It was a training flight.

When landing, the crew reported the aircraft failed to extend the right landing gear.

After repeated attempts to save the plane and after it ran out of fuel, the chief flight controller ordered the crew to fly to a safe place and bail out, Konashenkov said.

Both pilots landed safely. They were airlifted by a helicopter to the base. There is no threat to their lives and health, the official added.

The plane had no ammunition on the flight.

A commission is investigating the incident.

The previous MiG-31 accident occurred in late 2013. A plane on its first test flight after repairs fell in the Far Eastern region. The pilot and the navigator bailed out. There was no damage and nobody hurt on the ground.