Russian fighter jet crashes in Urals
09:32 06/09/2011 MOSCOW, September 6 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian Mikoyan MiG-31 fighter jet crashed in the Urals on Tuesday, killing both pilots, officials say.
The jet exploded in a fireball minutes after taking off from a military airport in the Perm region in the early hours of Tuesday.
It was on a routine training flight, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said.
A technical failure is being investigated as the possible cause of the crash, a source in the ministry told RIA Novosti.
A similar jet crashed in the region last year, but the pilots managed to parachute to safety.
All MiG-31s have been grounded following the accident.
The Defense Ministry said the ban would remain in place until the cause of the disaster had been established.
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