MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) – A Soviet-era Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft crashed during a routine training flight in Russia’s Krasnodar region on Monday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The statement said contact with the pilot was lost at 8:17 p.m. Moscow time (16:17 GMT). The plane crashed 49 kilometers from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield.
“The pilot was able to steer the falling aircraft away from populated areas and eject safely,” the statement said.
The ministry confirmed that there were no injuries or damages to structures on the ground.
A Ka-27 search-and-rescue helicopter has been dispatched to the crash site, the ministry reported, adding that all flights of Su-25 aircraft in the Southern Military Districts had been suspended while an investigation into the incident was under way.
The Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau to provide close air support for ground troops.
The aircraft has been in service with the Russian Air Force for more than 25 years. It has also been exported to dozens of countries.
