The Su-35 jet burst into flames during a test taxi run at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur airport on April 26. The pilot ejected safely.
Alexander Pekarsh, CEO of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aicraft Production Association, or KNAAPO, said an engineering defect in the Su-35's engine control system had been pinpointed as the cause for the crash.
He did not elaborate.
The Su-35 pilot unsuccessfully tried to stop the plane, using various methods including the brake parachute, Kommersant reported after the accident. The plane hit a guard post, and the guard suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized.
The plane was to make its maiden flight in the near future but could not be repaired, Vedomosti reported.
Sukhoi, a major shareholder of KNAAPO, began testing Su-35s in February 2008 and plans to start deliveries of the aircraft in 2011. Sukhoi plans to export the fighters to countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
The Su-35 is "4++ generation aircraft using fifth-generation technology," Sukhoi said on its web site.
The aircraft features a new Irbis-E radar that allows the pilot to detect and track up to 30 air targets while simultaneously engaging up to eight targets, according to RIA-Novosti. It is equipped with a 30 mm cannon with 150 rounds and can carry up to 8 metric tons of combat payload on 12 external mounts.
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