Two Russian pilot instructors killed in Moscow plane crash

Two Russian flight instructors were killed when their plane crashed in the Moscow region on Thursday, according to Russian news outlets.

Tass, a Russian state news agency, reported the Russian Emergencies Ministry said the small plane crashed close to the Myachkovo airfield, which is located near Moscow. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Why It Matters

The fatal crash will likely raise concerns about safety in Russia’s aviation industry.

In July 2024, a Sukhoi Superjet (SSJ 100) belonging to Gazpromavia, an airline owned by gas giant Gazprom, crashed in the Kolomensky district of the Moscow region, killing all three people on board.

The state-owned United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said the Sukhoi, which had no passengers, had been on a test flight after repairs. One emergency situations ministry source said it exploded after it crash-landed in a forest.

The small plane crash on Thursday occurred on the same day that reports emerged about a Russian soldier reportedly ramming a truck into a Su-25 fighter jet, rendering it unusable.

The Su-25 incident adds to the considerable amount of military jets Russia has lost throughout the war in Ukraine. Russia’s air force has suffered extensive casualties—both in cases of friendly fire and as a result of Ukrainian forces shooting down Putin’s military jets.

By April 2024, General Christopher Cavoli, the head of the U.S. European Command, told American lawmakers that Russia had lost around 10 percent of its aircraft fleet since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

What To Know

Tass reported that one of the flight instructors who was killed on Thursday was a former military pilot named Vitaly Kiyashko. The news agency said a source with the first responders on the scene identified the other person on board the plane as another flight instructor.

According to Tass, the plane fell into a field and caused no damage to the ground. A crew of 26 people were working in response at the crash site, and they quickly extinguished flames on the fragments that was left from the plane.

RIA Novosti, another Russian state-run news agency, reported eight units of equipment from the local fire and rescue garrison were working at the site of the incident.

A representative of emergency services told RIA Novosti that the plane crash occurred near the village of Yeganovo in the Ramensky district.

Mash, a Telegram news channel that reportedly has links to Russian law enforcement, shared images and video footage of the crash site that showed the fiery remains of the plane.

What People Are Saying

An unnamed emergency service source told the Russian news agency Tass on Thursday: “Former military pilot Vitaly Kiyashko, who was a flight instructor, was among the two people killed in the crash. The other person on board, who also perished in the crash, was a flight instructor, too.”

What Happens Next

Russian investigators have launched a preliminary investigation into the plane crash.