The MiG-29SMT supersonic fighter crashed during a training flight in the Astrakhan region, the press service of the Southern Military District reported on Wednesday, August 18. The pilot died. The plane crashed immediately after takeoff during the first turn, the press service said.

The incident took place near the runway in a deserted place on the territory of the Ashuluk test site. The flight was carried out without ammunition, specified in the message.

To identify the causes of the disaster, a commission of the main command of the Russian Aerospace Forces was sent to the crash site.

The day before, during a training flight in the Moscow region, an Il-112V plane crashed, all three crew members were killed. The preliminary cause of the accident of the only flight model of the new Il-112V military transport aircraft was the ingress of oil into the combustion chamber, which led to a fire in the engine..