Tragic Plane Crash Claims 48 Lives in Russian Far East

Officials confirm that all 48 individuals aboard the Angara Airlines plane perished after it crashed in a dense forest near Tynda airport, sparking investigations into the accident’s cause.

Russian officials have reported a tragic aviation disaster in which an Angara Airlines Antonov An-24 aircraft crashed in the Amur region, resulting in the death of all 48 people on board. The aircraft, comprising 42 passengers and six crew members, took off from Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border and disappeared from radar while approaching Tynda airport.

A Russian civil aviation helicopter later located the burning wreckage on a remote hillside approximately 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the airport. Vasily Orlov, the regional governor, expressed his condolences and declared a three-day period of mourning, noting that five children were among the deceased.

The crash occurred in a rugged, swampy area, causing rescuers to take nearly an hour to reach the site. Preliminary investigations are currently looking into the possibility of pilot error due to adverse weather conditions or a technical malfunction. At the time of the incident, which took place during an unsuccessful landing attempt, visibility was hindered by low cloud cover, and radar contact was lost as the crew prepared for a subsequent approach.

The Antonov An-24, operational for nearly fifty years, was reported to have recently passed a technical inspection, though it has experienced multiple incidents since 2018, including a notable incident seven years ago when its left wing was damaged after overrunning a runway. Despite prior warnings to ground similar aircraft, the An-24 remains in use for regional travel in Russia, raising concerns over its safety record.