Orsk, Russia: Three people, including two aviation cadets and their instructor, were killed on Monday when a training aircraft crashed during a routine flight near the city of Orsk in Russia’s Orenburg Region, authorities confirmed.
The aircraft, identified as a Diamond DA-series trainer operated by the St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation, disappeared from radar around 10:40 a.m. local time before crashing near the settlement of Dzhanatalap.
Preliminary information from local officials indicates that two university students and an instructor were on board the aircraft at the time of the incident. All three occupants died on impact.
According to Russian media sources citing operational services, the individuals have been provisionally identified as the pilot, Vasily N. (born 1989), and cadets Timofey K. (born 2005) and Dmitry S. (born 2004).
Rescue teams from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) were dispatched immediately after the aircraft went down. Officials reported no post-impact fire at the crash site.
In statements to state news agencies, the regional governor’s office said rescue operations were ongoing and that authorities were providing assistance to the victims’ families.
Russian investigative bodies have launched inquiries into the cause of the accident. The Central Interregional Transport Investigations Directorate of the Russian Investigative Committee is leading the probe, in coordination with the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) and Russia’s civil aviation regulator, Rosaviatsiya.
Officials have not yet released any preliminary findings on the circumstances that led to the aircraft’s descent. Specialists are expected to analyze flight data and wreckage to determine whether mechanical failure, weather, or human factors played a role.
Regional authorities, including Orenburg Governor Yevgeny Solntsev, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and affirmed support for the ongoing investigation. Senior representatives from Rosaviatsiya and the St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation are reported to be traveling to the crash site.
