A passenger plane carrying 48 people crashed in a heavily forested region of Russia’s Far East, leaving no survivors, authorities confirmed. The aircraft, an Antonov An-24 operated by Angara Airlines, went down near Tynda after encountering difficulties during its approach to the airport.
The flight had originated in Blagoveshchensk, near the Chinese border, and was en route to Tynda when it disappeared from radar. Emergency responders later located the wreckage on a remote hillside, approximately 16 kilometers from the airport. Due to the challenging terrain—thick woodland and marshland—rescue teams took nearly an hour to reach the site.
Among the victims were 42 passengers and six crew members, including five children. The regional governor declared three days of mourning in honor of those lost.
Initial reports suggest the crash may have been caused by either adverse weather conditions or mechanical failure. Officials noted that the plane had already aborted one landing attempt before losing contact with air traffic control during a second approach. Low visibility due to heavy cloud cover was reported at the time.
The aircraft, nearly five decades old, had recently undergone a technical inspection, though records show it had been involved in multiple incidents since 2018. In 2014, it sustained damage after overshooting a runway and striking a lightning mast.
This model, originally designed in Soviet-era Ukraine, has been involved in several fatal accidents over the years. In 2019, another An-24 skidded off a runway in Siberia, killing two crew members. A decade ago, a similar crash into the Ob River claimed seven lives. Following that incident, there were calls to retire the aging fleet, but some remain in operation.
The tragedy has reignited concerns over the safety of older aircraft still in service across Russia. Meanwhile, authorities continue their investigation into the exact cause of the crash.
