Three crewmembers of the nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 bomber were killed after the plane’s ejection system activated while it was still on the airfield, near Kaluga in central Russia, the country’s defence ministry said on Tuesday.
"Today, during planned preparations of a Tu-22M3 aircraft on the ground for a flight at an airfield in the Kaluga Region, the ejection system was suddenly activated," the ministry said.
"Due to the insufficient altitude for parachute opening, three crewmembers received fatal injuries upon landing," it said.
Russia’s Aerospace Force has sent a commission to the scene to examine the plane and determine the cause of the accident.
TASS reported sources saying the ejection seats activated when the engines were turned on. Among the dead was the regiment commander who sat in the instructor’s seat.
The Tu-22M is part of a family of long-range supersonic missile-carrying bombers, capable of deploying nuclear missiles and bombs in all weather conditions.
