Russia Grounds Su-24 Bombers After Crash

  23 August 2007

Russia has ordered its fleet of Su-24 bombers grounded after one of the planes crashed during a training mission.

Air force officials said Thursday that a technical problem caused the early morning accident in the Far East Khabarovsk territory. They said preliminary investigation indicates that a technical problem rather than pilot error cause the crash.

Russian news media say rescue helicopters found the wreckage more than a 100 kilometers away from the airfield. The two pilots had ejected safely before the crash and were taken to a military hospital for a medical examination.

Reports say there was no damage on the ground.

The bomber flights are to remain suspended until investigators establish the cause of the crash.

• Email 
• Print 
• Comments