Three killed after Russian airliner crashes during test flight

All three crew members are dead after a Sukhoi Superjet airliner crashed during a test flight following maintenance work near Moscow on Friday, according to civil defence authorities.

The plane had taken off from Zhukovka airport outside the capital for a test flight and crashed near the town of Kolomna, located about 80 kilometres south-east of Moscow.

There were no passengers on board, the authorities said.

The plane belonged to the state-owned gas company Gazprom, news agency TASS reported. The test flight had taken place after scheduled maintenance.

No details of the cause of the crash have yet been released.

The twin-engine aircraft Sukhoi Superjet SSJ 100 was one of the first newly developed Russian aircraft models built after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

However, the aircraft, which made its maiden flight in 2008, has proven prone to breakdowns.

In 2019, a Superjet caught fire during an emergency landing at the capital's Sheremetyevo airport, killing 41 of the 78 people on board.