Russian fighter crashes on air show's first day

The Associated Press

LE BOURGET, France -- The world's largest air show opened on an ominous note Saturday when a prototype of Russia's most advanced fighter jet crashed during a flight demonstration.

The blue and white Sukhoi-30 MK had just finished fluttering like a leaf in a controlled descent when it appeared to lose power coming out of a dive at the 43rd Paris Air Show. The plane plunged to the ground, appeared to lightly touch it, then soared back into the air with its tail aflame. The two pilots then ejected from the jet before it crashed. Two muffled blasts were heard and black smoke billowed from the crash site on the airfield, far from spectators. The pilots weren't injured, the air show's organizers said. "For the moment we don't know if it's a mechanical incident or if he flew too low," said Patrick Guerin, an air show spokesman. The twin engine jet crashed hours after French President Jacques Chirac inaugurated the eight-day event on a day reserved for the news media. More than 1,800 aerospace companies from 40 countries are participating in the show, held every other year at Le Bourget Airport north of Paris. Producers of military aircraft, cruise missiles and other state-of-the-art weaponry are exhibiting their goods alongside makers of civilian airliners and business jets. All are vying to sell in a market made increasingly competitive by cutbacks in defense spending by cash-strapped governments and weakening demand for passenger planes.

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