The Russian Aerospace Forces have lost another Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bomber. The plane crashed on Thursday, August 15, in the Irkutsk region. The accident happened around 10:11 p.m. local time.
According to Russian sources, only three of the four crew members managed to eject.
The governor of the region, Igor Kobzev, said on Friday that one pilot was killed and three others were injured.
The rescue work “lasted all night…unfortunately, one of the pilots could not be saved,” I. Kobzev wrote on the Telegram network, citing the Ministry of Defense.
The preliminary cause of the accident is a technical failure. However, a video provided by local residents showed that the aircraft had not only crashed but was engulfed in flames.
The Tu-22M3 is known to have been on a training flight. Given the extent of the fire, which suggests that the fuel tanks were full, it had just taken off from Belaya Air Base, which is about 15 km from the crash site.
It should be noted that Russia lost its second Tu-22M3 this year. One such aircraft was destroyed on April 19 when it was shot down by a Ukrainian S-200 surface-to-air missile system, according to Defense Express.
2024-08-16 09:23:56