A Russian Yakovlev Yak-130 Mitten subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer performs on rehearsal day for the MAKS-2015, the International Aviation and Space Show, in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, on August 21, 2015. (AFP PHOTO)

MOSCOW, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A YAK-130 combat trainer plane crashed Saturday near the Borisoglebsk airfield in the Voronezh region, southwest Russia, during a training flight, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The crew steered the plane away from nearby buildings before being catapulted, a ministry statement said, adding that both pilots contacted the command immediately after landing.

A search and rescue team has been sent to help the crew, and a flight safety commission of the Russian armed forces is also starting an on-site investigation into the incident, it said.

The Interfax news agency quoted a knowledgeable source as saying that an engine failure may have caused the crash.

The YAK-130, a subsonic two-seat advanced trainer aircraft, was originally developed in the early 1990s. It entered service with the Russian air force in 2009.