Russian passenger jet crashes flying empty near Moscow, killing its crew of 3

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities say that a Russian passenger jet has crashed near Moscow while flying without passengers, killing its crew of three. The Sukhoi Superjet went down in the Moscow region on Friday, 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 was heading to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport following repairs when it crashed. The Investigative Committee, the country’s top state criminal investigation agency, launched a probe into the crash.