Two pilots were killed on Thursday, October 20, when a Russian Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft crashed at the the Ukrainka military airfield in Russia's Far East, military prosecutors said.

"A Su-24 aircraft crashed while landing at about 12.00 local time (02:00 GMT) in the Amur region. Both pilot and navigator were killed in the crash," a statement said.

The plane, which was flying in from the Central Russian city of Voronezh for planned maintenance, reportedly ran off the landing strip and caught fire after the landing gear collapsed in a heavy landing.

Defense Ministry officials said the crash was caused by a problem with the plane's landing gear. An investigation has been started into the causes of the crash, RIA Novosti reported.