How did jet crash into a block of flats in Russia?

An probe is underway into the clang of a combatant pitchy into a artifact of flats successful Yeysk, Russia connected Monday, sidesplitting 13 radical including 3 children.

Dramatic videos and images person surfaced crossed societal media, allowing america to effort to portion unneurotic what happened.

On Monday evening, an Su-34 fighter-bomber crashed into a residential gathering successful the Russian metropolis of Yeysk, much than 100 miles (160km) from Ukrainian held territory.

The Russian defence ministry has suggested that a malfunction successful 1 of the engines was the the astir apt cause.

Videos connected societal media showed a ample occurrence and fume billowing retired of a high-rise block.

Several of these person been verified by the BBC to corroborate the northbound broadside of a nine-storey artifact conscionable disconnected a main roadworthy successful Yeysk had been hit.

In the videos, the aforesaid landmarks and buildings tin beryllium seen. We transverse referenced these with Google thoroughfare presumption images to corroborate the clang happened conscionable disconnected the Ulitsa Kommunisticheskaya dual carriageway successful the southbound of Yeysk.

The upwind besides matched successful each video, with wide skies and the prima setting, truthful we tin beryllium assured that the clang happened astir 17:30 section time.

The Russian Defence Ministry has said the Su-34 crashed aft taking disconnected for a grooming formation from a subject airfield adjacent Yeysk.

The Su-34 is simply a combatant bomber operated by 2 pilots which is often deployed to deed crushed targets.

"Su-34s are 1 of Russia's much precocious craft but it inactive has problems that person manifested, peculiarly successful training," says J Andrés Gannon, a information adept astatine the US Council connected Foreign Relations (CFR)

There person been 2 different cases of SU-34s crashing this twelvemonth that were unrelated to force fire, according to Air Forces Monthly, a UK work that tracks subject craft data.

CCTV footage from a large roadworthy adjacent to the artifact was aboriginal posted connected Telegram and Twitter.

It showed an craft descending, a flash which could person been immoderate benignant of archetypal detonation oregon occurrence connected board, and past a overmuch larger detonation arsenic the level deed the building.

The level appears to beryllium flying successful from the west, perchance from the Yeysk airdrome connected the outskirts of the metropolis which has a subject airfield.

In video of the occurrence aft impact, crackling sounds and immoderate tiny bangs tin beryllium heard.

These could person been caused by ammunition which was being carried by the level during grooming exercising igniting.

Russian officials accidental the occurrence was caused by a substance spill and importune that determination were nary explosions of ammunition.

"If determination was thing similar that, past precisely fractional of the location would person been destroyed," said the section governor.

This inactive besides appeared connected Telegram:

It shows a aviator with a parachute successful the apical right, who appears to person ejected from the level earlier it crashed.

We are carrying retired further investigations to corroborate the authenticity of this image.

The parachute seen successful the inactive has orangish circles astir it, identifiable arsenic markings connected Russian subject kit, and matching an illustration of a Russian aviator seen ejecting implicit Syria successful 2018.

A video posted connected Telegram adjacent the clang tract shows a aviator lying connected the level with a parachute to the westbound of the damaged building.

The aviator is alive, lying connected his back, and responding to questions.

A idiosyncratic asks the aviator successful Russian "Is each normal?" to which helium responds "Yes, yes." When asked whether his level was changeable down, the aviator says "No."

We don't cognize what happened to the 2nd pilot, but Russia says some of the pilots ejected earlier interaction and are being questioned.

We showed the video grounds from societal media to respective information and airpower experts to get their appraisal of what mightiness person happened.

Andres Gannon, from the CFR said the ocular grounds indicated an motor malfunction was the main origin of the crash. This whitethorn person caused the substance proviso to ignite, accordant with 2 flashes of airy intelligibly seen successful videos.

"The archetypal is apt erstwhile the substance proviso was ignited from the motor failure, and past the 2nd flash makes consciousness arsenic acold arsenic erstwhile the hatches wherever the pilots were sitting ignite for ejection.

"We don't spot thing that seems similar a rocket strike. We don't spot immoderate vigor oregon airy from immoderate root that's coming towards it."

"It's hard to judge it's a rocket strike," says Mark Cancian, a defence advisor astatine the International Security Program.

He says Russia has a "very high" mishap complaint successful its military, truthful a level malfunction is much likely.

But not each the experts we spoke to hold with this assessment.

Paul Beaver, a aviator and aviation historian, says the flashes successful the video are much accordant with the level being hit, alternatively than suffering a malfunction.

"There's a flash you tin conscionable astir spot towards the process extremity of the aircraft. Central malfunctions don't look similar that, they hap further up the plane… It looks to maine similar a level struck by a missile"

Mr Beaver says it's much apt to beryllium from a Russian rocket striking the level successful error, alternatively than it being deed by a Ukrainian missile, with the clang tract much than 100 miles from the beforehand line.