Russian fighter plane crashes into residential building in Siberia killing two pilots

The crash happened in the Siberian city of Irkutsk
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A Russian warplane has crashed into a residential building killing two people.

Both of the crew onboard the jet died following the crash in the Siberian city of Irkutsk on Sunday (23 October). It is the second incident in less than a week in which a combat jet has crashed in a residential area.

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Irkutsk governor Igor Kobzev said the plane came down on a private, two-storey building housing two families. There were no casualties on the ground.

The local branch of Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said the Su-30 fighter jet crashed during a training flight and fell on a two-storey wooden building, sparking a fire.

Screenshot of aftermath of plane crash in Russia. Picture via NEXTA/ Twitter under fair dealingsScreenshot of aftermath of plane crash in Russia. Picture via NEXTA/ Twitter under fair dealings
Screenshot of aftermath of plane crash in Russia. Picture via NEXTA/ Twitter under fair dealings

A surveillance cam video posted on Russian social networks showed the fighter coming down in a nearly vertical dive. Other videos showed the building engulfed by flames and firefighters deployed to extinguish the blaze.

The crash came less than a week after another Russian warplane crashed near an apartment building in the Sea of Azov port of Yeysk and exploded in a giant fireball, killing 15 and injuring another 19.

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Sunday’s crash was the 11th reported non-combat crash of a Russian warplane since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine on February 24.

Military experts have noted that as the number of Russian military flights increased sharply during the fighting, so did the crashes. Irkutsk, a major industrial centre of more than 600,000 in eastern Siberia, is home to an aircraft factory producing the Su-30 fighter planes.

The Su-30 is a supersonic twin-engine, two-seat fighter that has been a key component of the Russian air force and also has been used by India and other countries.

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