Russia-manufactured jet crashes on test flight, kills crew members

A Sukhoi Superjet 100-passenger plane crashed Friday outside Moscow, killing all three crew members on board, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

The crash happened during a test flight, when no passengers were on board.

Authorities are investigating what caused the fatal incident.

The crash comes after a series of issues with Russia’s flagship plane, which was developed by the Russian aerospace company Sukhoi Civil Aircraft and was the first all-new commercial Russian aircraft produced after the end of the Soviet Union.

In May 2012, a Sukhoi Superjet 100 jet was on a demonstration flight in Indonesia when it crashed into Mount Salak, killing all 45 people aboard.

Then, in May 2019, 41 people died after an Aeroflot Superjet burst into flames after an emergency landing just after taking off from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.