Russian Su-24 crashed on Kola

[Tintin]

BarentsObserver.com
2009-06-17

Su-24 Attack plane crashes on Kola


Both pilots survived when a Su-24 attack aircraft crashed at a military airfield on the Kola Peninsula Wednesday.

The accident happend just before 15 pm at the military airfield outside the city of Monchegorsk, some 100 kilometres south of Murmansk, reports Trend News.

Russian newswire RIA-Novosti quotes a Defence ministry spokesman saying a technical failure could be to blame for the crash. Both pilots ejected safely, while the plane burnt completely after the crash on the runway.

A total of 1,400 Su-24 aircrafts are built between 1971 and 1993. More than 500 of them are still in service.

[Tintin]

MOSCOW, June 19 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Air Force on Friday halted flights by all Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft following a second crash in three days, a Defense Ministry source said.

The Air Force has yet to make an official announcement.

A Su-24 crashed earlier on Friday in the Rostov region of southern Russia, with both pilots ejecting safely.

A Defense Ministry source said the crash was caused by "the failure of a system."

On Wednesday, a Su-24 aircraft crashed on a runway as it landed, but both pilots also ejected safely.

However, Su-24 flights continued after the Wednesday crash, which occurred in the Murmansk region in the far northwest.

"This Su-24 crash is not a catastrophe and therefore flights by this type of aircraft have not been suspended," a Defense Ministry spokesman said at the time.

The Su-24 is a two-seat, twin-engine attack aircraft similar to NATO's Tornado and Mirage 2000 planes.

The plane has been in service with the Russian Air Force since the mid-1970s. However, in recent years Russia has gradually been phasing out the planes, which have a patchy safety record.

According to the Defense Ministry, the Su-24 will be gradually replaced with new Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft, which has the potential to become the top plane in its class for years to come.