Rosmorrechflot joins search for missing fighter jet pilot in Black Sea

The Marine Rescue Service (Morspassluzhba) of Russia’s Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transportation (Rosmorrechflot) has joined in the search for the pilot of a Russian Air Force fighter jet that is believed to have crashed in the Black Sea on Wednesday, March 25.

The rescue vessel Spasatel Demidov has begun combing the waters 50 kilometres off Crimea for any trace of the pilot of the Su-27 jet, which reportedly disappeared from radar during a scheduled mission on the evening (local time) of Wednesday.

Spasatel Demidov is one of 11 government and civilian vessels participating in the search, which Russian officials say has been hampered by worsening weather with wind gusts of up to 33 knots.