A SHOCKING new video shows the horrific moment a Russian passenger jet crashes out of the sky – killing three pilots.
The plane hits the ground, causing a huge fireball that sends thick clouds of black smoke into the air.
Terrified villagers, who narrowly avoided the aircraft, captured the frightening images at the crash site, near Kolomna – 105 miles southeast of Moscow.
More videos were taken after the crash and showed the burning wreckage of the plane surrounded by trees that were destroyed on impact.
The jet was on a test flight after undergoing repairs, according to reports
The pilot issued a mayday call and the aircraft circled to burn fuel before the intended emergency landing.
He is believed to have diverted the aircraft away from built-up areas and crashed into a forest.
The Russian-made jet was flying from its base at the Lukhovitsy aviation factory to Vnukovo airport when it disappeared from radars at around 3pm local time, The Moscow Times reports.
The reason for the crew’s distress signal was not immediately released, but Mash media suggested that a “major version” of the accident was linked to “poor quality during repairs.”
Because of this “during the climb, the plane accelerated to a vertical speed of 40 m/s [metres per second] when the norm was 12–15 m/s.”
This is 131 feet per second compared to a correct climb of 39 to 40 feet per second.
Such acceleration could lead to a catastrophic failure of the aircraft – and cause major medical complications for the crew.
There appears to be a consensus that an emergency developed shortly after takeoff due to technical problems and not pilot error.
One report said the Kremlin had tasked Russian security forces with “finding out in detail” the cause of the worrying accident.
“What happened was a serious blow to the reputation of all Russian aviation.
“Now we need to quickly understand what is happening and learn lessons for the future,” said an informed source.
Senior official Andrei Dobryakov said the plane embarked on its test flight “without permission.”
Another anonymous source told RIA Novosti that the aircraft caught fire as soon as it landed in the forest.
No other casualties other than the three pilots on board were reported.
It is alleged that the dead crew were named as Yevgeniy Bulavko, 53, the captain, and Maxim Lukmanov, 44, co-pilot, and Vladislav Kharlamov, 53, flight attendant.
The cause of the accident is unknown.
Russian emergency services told TASS: “The plane belongs to Gazprom.
“A test flight was carried out today. There was only a crew of three on board.”
A video posted on Telegram appears to show the consequences of the accident.
Thick black smoke was seen billowing into the sky from the reported crash site.
Superjets are widely used in Russia but have reportedly become vulnerable due to sanctions blocking the supply of Western parts.
President Putin intends to expand the use of a new Superjet based solely on Russian-made parts.
But he doesn’t use the planes himself.
There were numerous security incidents during the war in Ukraine, where Western sanctions were imposed.
Five years ago, 41 of 78 people died after a Sukhoi Superjet 100 was struck by lightning shortly after takeoff from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.
Just 20 minutes into the two-and-a-half hour flight, an emergency radio failure was declared, prompting the captain to request urgent authorization to return to land.
Pilot Denis Yevdokimov told Russian media that the lightning disrupted communication with air traffic controllers and forced him to switch to emergency mode.
The plane then circled around Moscow twice before landing in what appeared to be a desperate attempt to burn fuel.
Dramatic video of the tragedy showed the plane making a terrifying and bumpy landing, bursting into flames after bouncing off the runway.
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