Kubinka (Moscow region). August 23. INTERFAX-The causes of the Il-112B crash have not yet been established, Bekhan Ozdoev, Rostec's industrial director, said in an interview with Interfax.
"It is too early to talk about the causes of the accident. A commission has been created with the involvement of specialized specialists and experts. The Investigative Committee is working, " Ozdoev said at the Army-2021 forum.
"We will not draw conclusions until the investigation is completed. It is important to understand that this is the first prototype aircraft that was in the process of testing and improvements. Lifting such vessels into the air is always a risk, a job that requires dedication and heroism, " he said.
According to him, the test pilots who were at the helm of the Il-112B, in a critical situation, fought until the last for the plane and took the car away from residential buildings. "They acted like real heroes," Ozdoev said.
As Interfax reported, on August 17, 2021, the only flight sample of the new Il-112B transport vehicle crashed. The crash occurred during landing during a training flight near the Kubinka airfield in the Moscow region. As a result, all three crew members were killed - the chief pilot of PJSC Il, the test pilot of the 1st class, Hero of Russia Nikolai Kuimov, the test pilot of the 1st class Dmitry Komarov, the flight engineer of the 1st class Nikolai Khludeev.
A few days before, a prototype of the Il-112B, continuing preliminary flight tests, flew from the Voronezh plant (VASO) to the Moscow region to participate in the Army-2021 forum, which is being held on August 22-28 in Kubinka, near Moscow.
"According to the preliminary version, the Il-112 crash was preceded by a fire of the right engine," the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) said.
After the fire in the Il-112B engine, the crew could not influence the situation and prevent the crash of the aircraft, an informed source told Interfax. "Due to the fire, the engine thrust was lost. Since the fire occurred during the flight at the minimum altitude, the crew could hardly influence the situation, " the agency interlocutor said. According to him, the test pilots tried to take the car away from populated areas to the last to avoid casualties on the ground.
The crashed plane is in the register of experimental aviation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, the commission to investigate the incident will be headed by deputy head of the department Oleg Bocharov, the ministry said.
After the crash of the Il-112B, investigators opened a criminal case under the article on violation of the rules of traffic safety and operation of air transport (part 3 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).