Faulty oxygen equipment could have caused Russia's Su-30 crash

The fatal crash of a Russian military jet in the Siberian city of Irkutsk on Sunday could have been caused by faulty oxygen equipment, according to investigators.

Two pilots were killed when the plane crashed into a two-storey house. At the time officials said the plane, a Sukhoi Su-30 fighter, was a test flight.

Russia’s state Investigative Committee, which is looking into possible violations of air safety rules, told TASS that the crew had lost consciousness.

“The investigation is checking whether the onboard oxygen equipment malfunctioned and caused the two pilots to lose control,” the agency quoted a committee spokesperson as saying.

The Su-30 is built at Irkutsk’s Aviation plant. Investigators are questioning workers there to see whether they broke rules when maintaining the oxygen equipment, the report said. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Grant McCool)