Dramatic moment Russian pilot ejected from burning fighter jet ‘after it clipped a power line’ and crashed

• Helmet camera captured dramatic moment Russian Su-25 jet crashed in Russia 
• Footage shows pilot ejecting from his burning plane as it comes down in a field 
• It is thought the crash happened in Belgorod, near Ukraine, back in June 
• Jet is believed to have clipped a power line before spiralling out of control 

This is the dramatic moment a Russian fighter pilot was forced to eject from his burning plane moments before it crashed and exploded. 

Newly-released helmet camera footage captures the pilot bailing out of an Su-25 jet as it spirals out of control, believed to be over Belgorod, in Russia, back in June.

It is thought the jet in question had clipped a nearby power line, breaking off one of its tail fins and causing it to plunge to the ground. 

But pro-Ukraine sources claimed it had actually been shot down. 

This is the moment the pilot of a Russian Su-25 jet ejected as the aircraft burst into flames and then came crashing back to earth

It is thought the newly-released footage captures a crash that happened over Belgorod – a region of Russia – back in June

Russian war bloggers had reported the crash at the time it happened, along with footage of the plane’s wreckage burning in a field.

They said that ‘according to preliminary data, the aircraft hit a power line pole.’ 

But new video released for the first time on Sunday captures the crash from the pilot’s point of view.

The footage appears to start moments after the aircraft was struck – either by some kind of anti-aircraft missile or a power line.

The jet begins to twist in the air as the pilot loses control, before the aircraft turns sideways and rolls upside down.

Halfway through the roll the pilot ejects – capturing an astonishing glimpse of his own plane as it flies away into the distance.

Parts of the aircraft are breaking off as it falls and there is a fire in one of the engines.

Half of the rear upright tail fin appears to be missing. There are ‘V’ war makings on the fuselage, and a red ’09’ number on the side.

Online observers believe the plane is likely to be an Su-25SM aircraft based out of Russia’s far east that had been relocated to Ukraine to fight in the war.

The pilot’s parachute is seen deploying before he floats back down to earth as his jet slams into the ground several hundred yards away and explodes.

It is just the latest embarrassing incident involving one of Russia’s fighter jets.

On Sunday, an Su-30 plane taking part in a training flight over Irkutsk – eastern Russia – nose-dived into the ground, killing both of its pilots.

Those airmen have since been named as Maxim Konyushin, 50 and a renowned test pilot, and Major Viktor Kryukov, 43.

The exact cause of the crash remains a mystery, though information has emerged that both pilots may have blacked out in the cockpit.

A second plane was sent up to make contact with the doomed aircraft after it failed to respond to calls from the Irkutsk Aviation Plant and began circling on autopilot.

The aircraft is though to have circled ‘for a considerable period’ before their fuel ran out and the plane plunged to earth.

The crew of the second plane saw the pilots ‘with their heads hanging down low, in other words, they both blacked out’, a source at the testing plant said.

The insider told SibReal media that shocking safety abuses were common at the plant – one of Russia’s major aircraft manufacturers.

Maxim Konyushin, 50 (left), a renowned Russian test pilot and Major Viktor Kryukov, 43 (right) were killed on Sunday after their Su-30 jet crashed

The pilots were taking the jet on a test flight above the city of Irkutsk, eastern Russia, when it nose-dived into the ground and exploded

‘Given the quality of pre- and post flight checks, I am not surprised at all,’ said the source. Boxes were ticked but safety measures were not carried out properly.

‘Clearly if both pilots fainted simultaneously, something was wrong with the cabin’s [air pressure]’.

Yet another eyewitness disputed that account, saying: ‘I watched it fly. The plane soared sharply upwards, and then began to fall, like a stone, downwards.’

Air Force major Andrei Krasnoperov said that a fault was likely with oxygen on the plane.

But experts cited by Readovka media disputed that the plane was on autopilot and had run out of fuel, since its engines were heard functioning when it crashed.

‘There was no attempt to straighten the flight line by the pilots during the crash, which confirms the version of at least unconsciousness of the people on board,’ said the report.

This is the extraordinary moment a Russian Su-34 fighter/bomber jet crashed next to an apartment block in the city of Yeysk , setting the building on fire as the pilots ejected (right) 

‘Fighter pilots have to wear oxygen masks during the whole flight, so system malfunction might have been the cause of unconsciousness.’

They called for the criminal probe of the Russian Investigation Committee to examine ‘the details of the accident and determine exactly what happened, since the currently available information does not allow making any specific conclusions’.

It comes shortly after another Russian jet – a Sukhoi 34 fighter-bomber – plunged into an apartment block in the city of Yeysk and exploded, killing at least 13 people.

Ten people burned to death inside the building including three children, while another three died jumping from the roof rather than perish in the fire.

Both pilots ejected safely.

The Russian military said the men were taking part in training when the crash happened, denying some of the deaths were caused by exploding ammunition.

The crash is yet another humiliating loss for President Putin’s beleaguered air force, which has now suffered eleven non-combat crashes since the start of the war. 

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