Russian jet plane crashes near Moscow while flying empty, all crew members dead

A Russian passenger jet crashed on Friday while flying without passengers, killing its crew of three, officials said.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 went down in the Moscow region, according to Russian emergency officials.

The authorities said the plane belonged to Gazprom Avia, a carrier owned by the Russian state-controlled natural gas giant



Gazprom.

They said the plane took off from an aircraft-making plant at Lukhovitsy 110 kilometers  southeast of the Russian capital where it had undergone repairs. It was heading to Moscow's Vnukovo airport when it crashed.

The Investigative Committee, the country's top state criminal investigation agency, has launched a probe into the crash.