NUR-SULTAN. April 16 (Interfax) - A Mikoyan MiG-31 interceptor aircraft of the Kazakhstan Air Force crashed during a planned flight in the Karaganda region on Thursday; its crew ejected and survived the accident, the Kazakh Defense Ministry said.
"A MiG-31 of the Kazakhstan Air Force crashed near the city of Karaganda while on a planned flight to prepare for a combat duty mission on April 16, 2020," it said.
The plane crashed south of the Karaganda airfield after fire broke out in one of its two engines. Having received an order to leave the plane, the crew directed it toward a field far enough away from a populated area and then ejected. The pilots are alive, the ministry press service said.