A Sukhoi Superjet 100 jet has crashed in a forest near the town of Kolomna, Russian State media has reported today.
According to the latest reports, the jet wasn't carrying passengers at the time of the incident but all three crew members had perished in the crash. It would appear that the plane was operating a test flight following a recent repair when it came down in a wooded area. The aircraft belonged to Gazpromavia, the energy provider's own airline which had entered service in 2014.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100, is a regional jet with a capacity of between 87 and 98 passengers, it was designed and manufactured by Sukhoi Civil Aircraft. Development began in 2000, and the SSJ100 made its maiden flight on May 19, 2008. The first commercial flight occurred on April 21, 2011, with Armavia. The twin-jet has a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 46–49 tons and is used by a small number of airlines including Aeroflot.
As of November 2021, the fleet had logged over 2 million flight hours. However, before this latest crash, the SSJ100 has suffered three hull loss accidents resulting in 86 fatalities.
In 2022, Sukhoi announced a 'Russified' version, replacing Western components with domestic alternatives which had been put on a sanction list following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The company confirmed at the time, that the Aviadvigatel PD-8 engine would replace the existing ones. It is unclear at this stage what engines today's crashed aircraft was powered by.
Gazpromavia was established in 1995 and is based in Moscow. it operates passenger and cargo services, along with domestic and international charter flights. The carrier's home base is Ostafyevo Airport, where the majority of its fleet is based. The Company operates more than 30 fixed-winged aircraft of the following types: Boeing 737–700, Sukhoi Superjet 100, Dassault Falcon 900EX EASy, Dassault Falcon 900B, Yakovlev-42D, Yakovlev-40, Tupolev-154M, Antonov-74, Ilyushin-76TD and more than 100 helicopters: Mi-2, Mi-171A, Mi-8 and Kamov-26.
