Russian Air Force’s Su-30 fighter jet crashes in Siberia

Europe, News October 24, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

A Russian Air Force Su-30 fighter jet crashed in a residential area in the Siberian city of Irkutsk on October 23, 2022.

The Russian aircraft was making a test flight when the accident occurred.

The plane crashed into a two-story residential building, destroying it down to rubbles and engulfing the surrounding area into a ball of fire. Both pilots have been reported dead as they could not eject in time.

According to the regional governor Igor Kobzev, the building was empty while its surrounding area was not densely populated, hence none of the local residents were killed on the ground during the crash. Kobzev published a video on social media showing firefighters clambering over the wreckage and directing jets of water at the burning building.

Several other videos are circulating on social media showing the plane diving almost vertically before crashing into a building.

A Russian warplane Su-30 crashed into a residential building in Siberian city of Irkutsk. Two pilots reportedly died. pic.twitter.com/QfyaVeiEXb
— IRIA (@IRIA_Research) October 23, 2022

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the jet was on a test flight when it came down. The crashed jet was flying along with other jets, as its radio signal was lost for more than 20 minutes.

Another jet approached it and reported that both pilots were sitting inside with their heads down, presumably after losing the cabin pressure, the pilots had suffocated and lost consciousness. The jet flew for some time until it ran out of fuel and crashed into a residential building.

Su-30 is a twin-engine and two-seater fighter aircraft developed by Russia’s Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. Finding its roots with the Sukhoi Su-27, Su-30 was inducted into the Russian air force in 1996. Apart from Russia, the planes are also being used by China, India, Malaysia, Belarus, and Argentina.

*^{Russia’s Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jet. (Image Credit: United Aircraft Corporation)}*

Earlier this week, another Russian Su-34 fighter jet crashed into a nine-story high residential building in the Russian city of Yeisk at Krasnodar Territory. The pilots in that crash ejected in time, however, at least 15 people were reported dead on the ground. At least 17 apartments were directly affected by the crash and subsequent fire, while more than 100 apartments were evacuated in the vicinity.

The Russian air force has seen a rise in such aerial accidents in recent times, mainly after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. The two latest crash accidents come at a time when Russia has appointed its air force chief as the commander of the Ukraine war.

The most recent accident marks for 11th reported non-combatant crash for a Russian warplane since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started.