Kazakhstan grounds MiG-31 planes pending air crash inquiry
ASTANA. April 25 (Interfax) - An investigation into the crash of a MiG-31 fighter jet in Kazakhstan's Karaganda region will take at least 30 days, Kazakh Air Defense Force Commander Alexander Sorokin said.
"In accordance with the existing procedure, the Defense Ministry has grounded all MiG-31 airplanes for the period of the investigation," he said at a press briefing in Astana on Thursday.
The inquiry into the accident is being handled by a Kazakh Defense Ministry commission, which is working in cooperation with Russia's Rzhev Aircraft Repair Plant, Russian aviation authorities and security agencies, Sorokin said.
"They have been given 30 days to conduct their investigation, which, however, could be prolonged, should such a need arise," he said.
Specialists tentatively blamed a technical malfunction for the crash of a MiG-31 fighter jet during a routine practice flight in the Karaganda region late on April 23. The airplane's two crewmembers ejected before the crash. The pilot was found dead. The navigation officer was hospitalized with injuries.
A criminal investigation was opened on counts of flight safety violations (Article 392 of the Kazakh Penal Code).