2 on biplane die in air show crash outside Moscow

MOSCOW – A biplane flying in an airshow just outside the Russian capital has crashed in front of spectators, killing both people aboard.

Video footage shown on Russian television showed the An-2 biplane swooping in an arc toward the viewing area in Balashikha, a city on Moscow’s southeastern outskirts, its wings tilted at a sharp angle to the ground around midday Saturday. The left wings touched the ground and the plane crashed and caught on fire.

A spokeswoman for the regional Investigative Committee, Elena Markovskaya, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying both people aboard the plane died. There were no reports of injuries on the ground and the cause of the crash wasn’t immediately determined.