Another jet crashes attempting to land on Russian aircraft carrier

A Russian SU-33 aircraft crashed on December 3 while attempting to land on the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, according to a report by The Aviationist.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the Su-33 fighter jet skidded off the dock after the arresting cable broke.

The pilot sustained no injuries and was brought onboard the ship by rescuers, it added.

This is the second jet the Russian Navy has lost since the start of the aircraft carrier’s Mediterranean Sea flight operations.

Less than three weeks ago, a MiG-29K crashed after running out of fuel while it was waiting for clearance to land.

A report has shown that the cause of the first incident was the main arresting cable that snapped after the second of three aircraft landed. The last MiG was directed not to land until the deck was cleared for landing. Russian engineers on the flight deck were not fast enough as the the aircraft’s engines shut down after they stopped taking in fuel causing the aircraft to start rapidly decelerating and eventually forcing the pilot to eject.

A video from 2011 shows a Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker attempting to catch the wire on Admiral Kuznetsov. The pilot managed to resume flight after an unsuccessful landing attempt.

 

This article was updated to include a confirmation of the incident by the Russian MoD.