The MiG-29 was performing a training flight after taking off from Zhukovsky Airport when it experienced a problem with the “control system” and crashed
On Oct. 5, 2018 a Russian MiG-29 (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) fighter jet crashed near Moscow, Daily Star reports.
The pilots ejected safely from the aircraft, but their condition is unknown.
The Fulcrum came down into woodland in the Kolomna district near the Russian capital.
Emergency crew have rushed to the scene to find the pilots and examine the crash site.
“The plane fell in the forest near the village of Dmitrovskoye. The reasons for this are being investigated. Both pilots managed to eject,” security sources told Russian news agency RIA News.
The aircraft was performing a training flight after taking off from Zhukovsky Airport in southeast Moscow when it experienced a problem with the “control system” and crashed, Russian defence sources said.
There were no casualties or damage on the ground as a result of the crash, which was far away from populated areas.
An investigation has been launched to establish the causes of the control system failure.
Russia’s Channel 5 reported earlier that the MiG-29 had made an emergency landing at the Zhukovsky Airport after a fire erupted in the cabin during a test flight.
One person was injured in the incident, the media outlet reported.
The MiG-29 belonged to the Gromov Flight Research Institute.
The MiG-29 was conceived in response to a new generation of American fighters, which included the F-15 and F-16. Designed as an air defense fighter, this dual-purpose aircraft also possessed a ground attack capability. The task of producing a “frontal” or tactical fighter for the Frontal Aviation Regiments of the Soviet Air Force went to OKB MiG. Employing all the technical data available about the most advanced Western aircraft, the MiG designers started working on the MiG-29 in the early 1970s, and the first prototype made its first flight on Oct. 6, 1977.
The MiG-29 entered the operational service in 1982. Since then more than 1,600 Fulcrums have been built and sold to at least 30 countries around the world.
Photo credit: Dmitry A. Mottl Own Work via Wikipedia
