KHABAROVSK, Russia, April 27 (UPI) -- A Russian jet fighter prototype burst into flames upon takeoff in the country's far east region officials said Monday.
A spokesman for the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft plant told RIA Novosti the advanced SU-35 Flanker fighter plane caught fire at a testing ground near Khabarovsk Sunday morning, with the pilot ejecting safely.
"We will announce the details of the accident later in the day," Vitaly Tyulkin said.
Unnamed sources told the Russian news agency the accident could have been caused by a faulty fuel pump.
The mishap came after the SU-35 fighter, powered by two 117S engines, had successfully undergone test flights last month involving two prototypes, prompting confirmation by the Sukhoi aircraft maker of an earlier-announced delivery in 2011 for foreign customers.
