A Su-24M Fencer tactical bomber of the Baltic Fleet came down in a forest 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) to the southwest of the city of Kaliningrad, killing the two-man crew. A special commission formed to investigate the tragedy concluded the pilot had failed to complete a maneuver involving high vertical speed at low altitude.
"The pilot attempted to bring the plane into a horizontal flight, descending from 3,900 feet to 1,500 feet," the ministry said in a statement. "However, due to high vertical speed, low altitude and sharp bank angle he [the pilot] failed to complete the maneuver."
"The plane hit the tops of the trees at about 70 feet and broke into pieces, killing the crew," the statement said.
Another Su-24M crashed on March 15, 2006 in the Voronezh Region in central Russia, but both pilots managed to eject.
