Saturday, July 13, 2024 A passenger jet plane in Russia crashed near Moscow while flying empty, resulting in the tragic death of its crew of three, the news media reported Russian authorities as saying. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 went down in the Moscow region, according to Russian emergency officials. The authorities said the plane belonged to Gazprom Avia, a carrier owned by the Russian state-controlled natural gas giant Gazprom.
They said the plane took off from an aircraft-making plant at Lukhovitsy, 110 kilometers (68 miles) southeast of the Russian capital, where it had undergone repairs. It was heading to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport when it crashed. The Investigative Committee, the country’s top state criminal investigation agency, has launched a probe into the crash.
Preliminary reports suggest that the aircraft was on a routine flight to check its operational status after recent repairs. However, the exact cause of the crash remains undetermined at this early stage of the investigation. The Sukhoi Superjet 100, a twin-engine regional jet, has had a tumultuous history since its inception.
Designed to compete with similar models from Bombardier and Embraer, the aircraft has been plagued by a series of high-profile accidents and operational challenges. In May 2012, a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed into a dormant volcano during a demonstration flight in Indonesia, killing all 45 people aboard. The investigation revealed that the crew was unaware of high ground and ignored sig.
