A prototype Russian military aircraft has crashed in a ball of flame near Moscow with all on board believed to be dead.
Video posted by state media showed the Ilyushin Il-112V’s right engine catching fire mid-air, spewing flame and smoke as the aircraft tips to one side and crashes to the ground, a black plume of smoke rising from the wreckage.
The state defence conglomerate Rostec’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said the three crew, who included the test pilot and “Hero of Russia” Nikolai Kuimov, were all believed dead. The plane was making its descent to land at the Kubinka air base near Moscow at the time of the accident, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The Il-112V, a next-generation high-wing light transport aircraft, had been undergoing final tests in anticipation of its appearance at Russia’s Army-2021 military forum this month.
The aircraft is designed to transport military personnel, weapons, light equipment and other cargo with a maximum capacity of five tonnes. Its first test flight took place in March 2019.
According to its maker Ilyushin, the Il-112V is capable of auto-landing approaches to air bases as well as manual landing approaches to poorly equipped aerodromes.
Yury Borisov, deputy prime minister, said last month that Russia was working to address issues with the Il-112V, including its heavy weight of 21 tonnes.
The crash marks the latest in a recent string of military and civilian air crashes for Russia, bringing the country’s aviation safety standards under renewed scrutiny.
Last week eight tourists died when an MI-8 helicopter crashed into a lake on the Kamchatka peninsula in the far east of the country.
TvA Russian Be-200 firefighting plane sent to aid Turkey with raging wildfires also crashed, killing the eight crew members and emergency workers on board.
