VIDEO: A new Russian military transport plane caught fire in flight and crashed outside of Moscow

An Ilyushin Il-112V military transport aircraft — An Ilyushin Il-112V military transport
Marina Lystseva/TASS (Photo by Marina Lystseva\TASS via Getty Images

A prototype of a new Russian military transport aircraft crashed outside Moscow on Tuesday.
The right engine appears to have caught fire in flight.
The plane crashed and exploded, and there were no survivors, according to the company that makes it.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

A prototype of Russia's new Ilyushin Il-112V military transport aircraft caught fire during a test flight and crashed near Moscow on Tuesday, Russian media reported, citing the United Aircraft Corporation.

There were three crew members onboard at the time of the crash. A statement posted on Twitter by UAC, part of the larger state-owned Rostec corporation, said there were no survivors.

-RT (@RT_com) August 17, 2021

The three crew members were test flight engineer Nikolai Khludeyev, test pilot Dmitry Komarov, and test pilot Nikolai Kuimov, Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported. The latter is a recognized hero of the Russian federation for his achievements as a test pilot.

UAC has said that it will take the necessary steps to help the families of the deceased.

UAC told reporters Tuesday that the one of the aircraft's engines caught fire, TASS reported.

"According to the preliminary version of events, the Il-112V catastrophe was preceded by a right engine fire," the company said. The aircraft crashed as it was coming in for a landing near the Kubinka airfield. It then exploded after hitting the ground.

-AviaCT (@avia_ct) August 17, 2021

The Il-112V is a light military transport aircraft being developed by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex, which is part of the United Aircraft Corporation. The plane can carry up to five metric tons of either personnel, weapons, or other cargo.

The new aircraft is intended to replace the older Antonov An-26 light transport planes. The new Russian aircraft, which Russia has been working on since 2014, took its maiden flight in March 2019, according to Russian media. The aircraft is developmental and still being tested.

In the wake of Tuesday's accident, a criminal investigation looking into possible safety violations is underway, The Moscow Times reported, citing Russian investigators.

Read the original article on Business Insider