The Russian pilots who ejected from a military plane moments before it crashed into an apartment building and killed 13 people could face charges, Russia says

Authored by businessinsider.com and submitted by Drinkie_Zilla

A Russian Su-34 aircraft crashed into an apartment building in western Russia, killing 13 people.

The two pilots managed to eject from the aircraft after an engine caught fire during training.

Now, a Russian committee is investigating to see if the pilots could faces charges for the incident.

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Two Russian pilots whose military aircraft crashed into a residential building — killing over a dozen people — could face charges, Russian authorities said on Tuesday.

The engine of a Su-34 strike fighter caught fire shortly after takeoff during a Monday training mission, Russian officials said, forcing the pilots to eject from the aircraft before it plunged into an apartment courtyard in western Russia's port city of Yeysk.

Russia's Investigative Committee said on Telegram that the crash — which left 13 people dead and sent 19 more to the hospital — is being investigated as a criminal case for possible violation of flight rules or flight preparation rules, where negligence resulted in the death of an individual.

According to a document from a United Nations criminal agency that outlines that part of Russia's criminal code, the pilots or ground crew could face a punishment of "deprivation of liberty" for up to seven years, though it's not immediately clear what that may actually entail.

Russia's Investigative Committee said military investigators and forensic specialists are at the scene.

"The investigation seized fuel samples at the departure airport, as well as the necessary documentation. The pilots who managed to eject, as well as the airfield personnel, are being interrogated," the committee said. "Flight recorders have already been seized from the crash site, and expert examinations have been appointed on them."

Russia's Investigative Committee continued: "Currently, the investigation is considering a technical malfunction of the aircraft as the main version of the fall."

Debris of a warplane crashed into a residential area are seen on the damaged building in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. AP Photo

A burnt bus and debris of a warplane crashed into a residential area are seen in Yeysk, Russia, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. AP Photo

Videos published to social media on Monday of footage from security cameras appeared to show the warplane catching on fire, before quickly losing altitude. The aircraft then dove behind a collection of buildings, causing an initial fireball that was followed by a second, larger explosion.

One photograph showed a parachute that appeared to belong to one of the pilots.

Insider was unable to independently verify the videos or photographs.

Yeysk, which is home to around 80,000 people and a Russian military air base, is located along the Sea of Azov and is a short distance from the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

An open-source intelligence analysis by Oryx has documented at least 16 Su-34 fighter-bombers that Russian forces have lost since they invaded Ukraine nearly eight months ago. Monday's accident also took place just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces launched a series of suicide drone attacks on Kyiv, which killed several people.

Enshakushanna on October 19th, 2022 at 01:27 UTC »

must suck to be a russian pilot, they give you a shit aircraft doomed to fail at any moment and then blame you for everything and throw you in prison!

waisonline99 on October 18th, 2022 at 23:56 UTC »

What are they gonna do?

Conscript them?

BanditCountry1 on October 18th, 2022 at 23:27 UTC »

Best charge the pilot, lest someone figure out that the war is having an effect on Russian equipment maintenance.