MiG-29 fighter crashes in Astrakhan region, killing pilot

A MiG-29 fighter of the Russian Air Force crashed near Astrakhan on Sunday. The fighter’s pilot was killed in the crash, Air Force Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Viktor Bondarev told reporters.
“A pilot has been killed in a fighter crash,” the commander said. “We are investigating this incident and, according to preliminary data, the crash was caused by air equipment failure,” General Bondarev added.
There has been no destruction on the ground as a result of Sunday morning crash of a MiG-29 fighter near Astrakhan, spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry Major General Igor Konashenkov told Itar-Tass.
“A fighter of the Air Force combat training and tactical employment went out of control and fell 30 kilometres northeast of the city of Astrakhan in a steppe. It has caused not destruction on the ground,” he said.
“The flight supervisor gave the pilot a command to eject. However, the pilot, trying to save the aircraft, remained at the steering wheel and was killed [in the crash],” General Konashenkov said.
Earlier on Sunday  law enforcement source told Itar-Tass that according to preliminary information, a MiG-29 fighter of the Russian Defence Ministry fell 30 kilometres south of the Privolzhsky airport in the Astrakhan region.
“The jet fell at a considerable distance from homes, so the local residents were not hurt,” law enforcers said.