2024 Russia Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M crash

45°52′22.42″N 41°22′27.17″E / 45.8728944°N 41.3742139°E / 45.8728944; 41.3742139AircraftAircraft typeTupolev Tu-22MOperatorRussian Air ForceOccupants4Passengers0Crew4Fatalities2Survivors2

Aircraft

The aircraft was a Soviet-Era Tupolev Tu-22M3, owned and operated by the Russian Air Force.^[1]

Accident

On April 19, 2024, a Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic supersonic bomber belonging to the Russian Air Force crashed in southern Russia's Stavropol Krai. The incident occurred after the bomber completed a combat mission, occurring in the Krasnogvardeysky district, approximately 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The crew members managed to eject from the aircraft. Of the four Russian Air Force crew on board, Two were rescued, one killed, and one missing as of April 28.^[3]

According to Ukrainian reports, the Tu-22M3 was returning from an air strike on Ukraine when it was shot down. The Ukrainian Air Force and the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine allegedly cooperated in bringing down the bomber. The HUR claimed that the Tu-22M3 was shot down at a distance of about 300 kilometers from Ukraine using the same means previously used to shoot down the Russian A-50U long-range radar detection and control aircraft. If confirmed as a “kill” by the Ukrainian Air Defense, this would be the first successful downing of a Russian strategic bomber since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.^[3]^[4]

Cause

There are conflicting reports about the cause of the crash. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Tu-22M3 experienced an engine fire that eventually led to the crash. However, Ukrainian sources asserted that the bomber was shot down in cooperation by the Ukrainian Air Force and the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Accident Tupolev Tu-22M3". aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 2024-04-23. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
^ Suciu, Peter (2024-04-19). "Russia's Tu-22M3 Bomber Disaster Is Just Beginning". The National Interest. Archived from the original on 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cenciotti, David (2024-04-19). "Russian Tu-22M3 Crashes In Southwestern Russia, Ukraine Claims It Was Shot Down". The Aviationist. Archived from the original on 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
^ "Tupolev Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashes in Russia: video". 2024-04-19. Archived from the original on 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-04-25.

Aviation accidents and incidents in 2024 (2024)

Jan 2

Haneda Airport runway collision

Jan 5

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282

Jan 20

Badakhshan Dassault Falcon 10 crash

Jan 23

Northwestern Air Flight 738

Jan 24

Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash

Feb 6

Lake Ranco helicopter crash

Feb 9

Hop-A-Jet Flight 823

Feb 9

Orbic Air Eurocopter EC130 crash

Feb 18

Air Serbia Flight 324

Mar 5

Nairobi mid-air collision

Mar 11

LATAM Airlines Flight 800

Mar 12

Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash

Mar 31

Malakal Airport collision

Apr 19

Russia Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M crash

Apr 23

Lumut mid-air collision

May 19

Varzaqan helicopter crash

May 21

Singapore Airlines Flight 321

2023 ◄

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the Russian Federation
This only includes aviation accidents in Russia since 12 December 1991 (post-Belovezha Accords, end of the Soviet Union)
1990s	Aeroflot Flight 2808 (1992) Sakha Avia Flight 301 (1993) Baikal Airlines Flight 130 (1994) Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9045 (1994) Aeroflot Flight 593 (1994) Vanavara air disaster (1994) Khabarovsk United Air Group Flight 3949 (1995) RA-78804 (1996) Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023 (1997) Irkutsk Antonov An-124 crash (1997)
2000s	Omsk An-70 crash (2001) Vladivostok Air Flight 352 (2001) Grozny Mi-8 crash (2001) Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 (2001) Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Flight 9064 (2001) Shelkovskaya Mi-8 crash (2002) Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9560 (2002) Khankala Mi-26 crash (2002) Russian aircraft bombings (2004) Regional Airlines Flight 9288 (2005) Armavia Flight 967 (2006) S7 Airlines Flight 778 (2006) UTair Flight 471 (2007) Shatoy Mi-8 crash (2007) Moskovia Airlines Flight 9675 (2008) Aeroflot Flight 821 (2008) Makhachkala Il-76 collision (2009) Yakutia Ilyushin Il-76 crash (2009)
2010s	Aviastar-TU Flight 1906 (2010) Smolensk air disaster (2010) Katekavia Flight 9357 (2010) Alrosa Flight 514 (2010) Dagestan Airlines Flight 372 (2010) Kolavia Flight 348 (2011) Garbuzovo Antonov An-148 crash (2011) RusAir Flight 9605 (2011) Angara Airlines Flight 9007 (2011) Avis-Amur Flight 9209 (2011) 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash (2011) UTair Flight 120 (2012) Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Flight 251 (2012) Red Wings Airlines Flight 9268 (2012) Polar Airlines Flight 9949 (2013) Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 (2013) Unijet Flight 074P (2014) Flydubai Flight 981 (2016) Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Il-76 crash (2016) Skol Airlines Flight 9375 (2016) Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash (2016) Khabarovsk Airlines Flight 463 (2017) Saratov Airlines Flight 703 (2018) UTair Flight 579 (2018) Aeroflot Flight 1492 (2019) Angara Airlines Flight 200 (2019) Ural Airlines Flight 178 (2019)
2020s	Volga-Dnepr Airlines Flight 4066 (2020) Kemerovo parachute Let L-410UVP-E crash (2021) Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Flight 251 (2021) Siberian Light Aviation Flight 42 (2021) Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51 (2021) Menzelinsk parachute Let L-410UVP-E crash (2021) Grodno Aviakompania Flight 1252 (2021) Russian Aerospace Forces Antonov An-26 crash (2022) Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crash (2022) Yeysk military aircraft crash (2022) Irkutsk military aircraft crash (2022) Belgorod accidental bombing (2023) Bryansk Oblast military aircraft crashes (2023) Wagner Group plane crash (2023) Ural Airlines Flight 1383 (2023) Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash (2024) Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash (2024) Russia Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M crash (2024)