MINSK, May 19. /TASS/: Two pilots were killed after a Yak-130 combat training plane of the Belarusian Air Force crashed near Baranovichi in the western Brest Region, the republic’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.
"A Yak-130 military plane based out of the Lida assault aviation base has crashed near Baranovichi. Unfortunately, both pilots have died. There are no other victims or damage. The Emergencies Ministry’s forces have eliminated the consequences of the crash," the ministry said in a statement.
The plane’s crew found a technical fault during their training flight, the ministry said.
"The pilots tried to steer the plane away from a populated area, displaying courage and heroism. After they understood that the plane’s flight path was outside of residential buildings, the pilots ejected," the Belarusian Defense Ministry stated.
According to the Defense Ministry’s data, the flight was performed by Wing Commander of the 116th Assault Aviation Base’s Combat Training Squadron Major Andrei Nichiporchik and Squadron Wing Pilot Lieutenant Nikita Kukanenko.
"A commission of the Defense Ministry headed by the deputy defense minister for armament has left for the scene of the incident," the statement says.
The Belarusian Air Force received the first batch of Yak-130 combat trainers in 2015 under a contract with the Russian aircraft corporation Irkut. Four more combat training planes arrived for the Belarusian Air Force in a year and another four combat trainers were delivered in 2019.
