SU-27 Aircraft Crashes in the Black Sea During Scheduled Flights, Preliminary Data Shows

A rescue team consisting of an AN-26 aircraft and an MI-8 helicopter was sent to rescue the pilot, along with a frigate and several civilian ships, the Russian Ministry of Defence noted.

According to preliminary data, an SU-27 plane crashed in the Black Sea near Feodosya during scheduled flights, the Russian Ministry of Defence said Wednesday. 

"Around 08.10 pm Moscow time [17:10 GMT] on March 25, a Su-27 fighter flying a scheduled mission over the Black Sea at a distance of about 50 kilometers [31 miles] from the town of Feodosia, disappeared from radar screens. An emergency radio beacon signal was detected in the area," the statement reads. "The search for the pilot in the area of the operation is complicated by difficult weather conditions", the ministry said.

Radio beacon activity has been recorded in the Black Sea, where rescuers hope to find the pilot of the crashed Su-27 alive. Two vessels have been sent to the place where the signal was detected, according to the press service of the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot).

"At 5.25, information was received from the Sevastopol marine rescue centre on the activity of the beacon, the coordinates of the Sevastopol responsibility zone ... Two ships passing in this area were sent there. It is hoped that this is the alleged point where the rubber boat with the pilot is located," according to Rosmorrechflot.

Two emergency rescue helicopters, a frigate and several civilian ships have been sent to the crash area.
Earlier in the day, a light L-39 trainer crashed at the Dmitrievskaya settlement in the Krasnodar Region, killing the pilot, a spokesperson for the emergencies service said. No damage was done to infrastructure on the ground, the spokesperson added.