Second Russian jet crashes near troubled carrier off Syria

by WorldTribune Staff, December 5, 2016

For the second time in a month, a Russian fighter jet crashed into the Mediterranean after attempting to land on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.

Su-33 fighter on the deck of Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.
Su-33 on the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov.

“After carrying out its military assignment in Syrian airspace, a Su-33 fighter rolled beyond the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier during landing due to breakage of the arresting cable,” Moscow’s defense ministry said, according to Russian news agencies.

The pilot ejected from the plane and reached the aircraft carrier safely, the ministry said, without specifying when the incident happened although reports mentioned Dec. 3.

The defense ministry said the Admiral Kuznetsov’s planes were continuing to work in the Mediterranean with flights “continuing in accordance with the tasks.”

Last month, a MiG-29K crashed into the Mediterranean due to a “technical fault,” going down a few kilometers from the carrier off the Syrian coast.

The Admiral Kuznetsov, the Russian navy’s only aircraft carrier, was sent to participate in the Syria operations in October after completing a retrofit.

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