What happened
On August 17, a prototype aircraft, identified by the registration 01 yellow, was conducting a test flight from Moscow-Zhukovsky to Kubinka Airport. The aircraft, which was the initial prototype of its model, had previously departed from Voronezh Airport on August 13 as part of preparations for a demonstration at the 7th Military Technical Forum.
The flight arrived at Kubinka Airport at 11:09 LT. Shortly after, at 11:14 LT, the aircraft departed for a subsequent test flight. During this flight, while maintaining a low altitude and a level flight attitude, the right engine experienced an engine fire.
In an attempt to return to the airport, the crew managed to fly for approximately 35 seconds following the fire. However, the aircraft subsequently rolled to the right and became inverted. The aircraft crashed into a wooded area located roughly 2.5 km before reaching runway 22. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft type and the deaths of all three crew members.
Findings
No specific findings regarding the origin of the fire were provided, but the sequence of events indicates that the engine fire led to a loss of control, causing the aircraft to roll and invert before impacting the ground.