Russia says fighter pilot dies in crash outside Moscow
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE- In this Saturday, May 26, 2007 file photo, a Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet of the Russian air force elite aerobatic team Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) makes a low pass during an air show in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. A pilot of the Russian air force's elite aerobatic squadron died Thursday, June 9, 2016 when his fighter jet crashed near Moscow. The Russian Defense Ministry said the Su-27 fighter jet went down while returning from a training mission. It said, according to preliminary information, the crash had been caused by a technical malfunction, but wouldn't elaborate pending an official probe. 3 (AP Photo/Sergei Venyavsky, file) (The Associated Press)
The Russian defense ministry says a fighter jet has crashed outside Moscow, killing the pilot.
The ministry said the unidentified pilot died when his Su-27 crashed Thursday morning north of Moscow as it was returning to the home base.
The ministry would not give any more detail but two Russian state-owned news agencies quoted an industry source saying the jet belonged to one of the elite aerobatic squadrons, the Russkiye Vityazi (the Russian Knights).
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The TASS news agency reported from the scene that a fragment of the fuselage has a Russian Knights insignia on it.