Flights of MiG-31 fighters suspended due to air crash in Siberia

Flights of the MiG-31 fighters have been suspended until the causes of the Monday crash of this aircraft are found out, a source in the Chief Command of the Russian Aerospace Forces told TASS.

"The decision to suspend the flights of this type of aircraft has been made until the causes and circumstances of this air accident are established," the source said. According to him, the emergency plane pilots were promptly found and evacuated by the search group.

"Their lives and health are not in danger, they will soon return to their duties," the source said. According to him, "the preliminary cause of the MiG-31 fighter crash is a technical failure."

The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier on Monday that the MiG-31 crashed fighter was performing a planned training flight.

The fighter of the Central Military District’s Air Force and Air Defense grouping went out of control during a combat mission drill and crashed in a wooded area 40 kilometres northwest of the town of Kansk," the ministry added. According to the ministry, the aircraft carried no ammunition load and its crash caused no destruction on the ground.

"According to preliminary data, the crash of the MiG-31 plane could have been caused by the equipment failure," the ministry added.

The ministry’s press service reported that "a special commission comprising experts of the flight safety service of the aviation of the Russian Armed Forces and Chief Command of the Russian Aerospace Forces flew to the accident site" to investigate the crash causes.