"Before the Su-24 aircraft's landing, the wing would not move into position, and the team made 20 landing attempts," he said.
Air Force spokesman Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky earlier said that the flight recorders from the bomber had been recovered.
"Experts say the black boxes are in good condition," he said, raising hopes that the recorders will shed light on what happened.
Nobody was hurt in the incident as the two-man crew of the Su-24 Fencer, which has similar capabilities to the American F-14 Tomcat or the British Tornado, managed to eject and were later picked up by a helicopter.
The Su-24 can maintain supersonic speeds while flying at low altitude and is equipped with terrain-following radar and laser-designators for guided weapons, which means the plane can approach enemy targets beneath radar coverage and attack with pinpoint accuracy.
About 650 Su-24s were built, but many were withdrawn from service since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
