2 Russian jet fighters rehearsing for air show collide near Moscow; 1 pilot reportedly killed

2 Russian jet fighters collide

MOSCOW — Two Russian air force fighter jets collided Sunday as they were rehearsing for a major air show outside of Moscow, sending one of the jets crashing into houses below, a military official said. Russian media reported one of the pilots was killed.

The Su-27 fighters were part of elite flying group the Russian Knights that were scheduled to perform at the MAKS-2009 air show, the largest and most important exhibition for Russia’s aerospace industry, which opens Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik, an air force spokesman, said in televised comments that the jets collided not far from the Zhukovo airfield, east of Moscow, where the air show will be held.

He said the three pilots who ejected from the jets after the collision were found in satisfactory condition. However, the RIA-Novosti and Interfax news agencies reported that one pilot — the commander of the flying group — had been found dead.

Drik said investigators were looking into the cause of the collision.

RIA-Novosti also said a woman was seriously injured when one of the jets crashed into a house not from the airfield, and as many as four other people may have been also injured.

In recent years, Russian air force jets have seen a series of mishaps, many blamed on the aging condition of the Soviet-era planes. Earlier this year, officials grounded the air force’s entire fleet of Su-24s after two crashes in three days.

Two crashes of MiG-29 jets in 2008 prompted the grounding of the entire fleet as well. A subsequent investigation showed that a large number had become unsafe to fly and had to be scrapped.