A prototype of the latest model of a Russian military transport plane IL-112 V with three people on board crashed today during a test flight from Kubinka airfield in the Moscow Oblast region, the manufacturer of the United Aircraft Corporation said.
The three crew members were killed, TASS reported, citing authorities.
Il-112 is a high-wing light military transport aircraft being developed by Ilyushin Aviation Complex for air landing and airdrop of military air cargoes, equipment and personnel.
According to initial estimates, the cause of the tragedy was a fire in the right engine of the plane.
The pilots tried to control the aircraft until the last moment, diverting it from residential buildings at the last moment.
Videos uploaded to the Internet show the plane flying at low altitude with a burning wing before making a sharp turn and crashing into the ground.
According to a source in the Russian emergency services, one engine caught fire. “Before the crash, the plane’s second (right) engine caught fire. Shortly afterward, the plane leaned to its right, lost speed, overturned, and fell,” a TASS source said.
The United Aircraft Corporation is developing and testing the IL-112 V, which should replace the obsolete An-26 transport aircraft.