All 48 people aboard a domestic passenger plane in Russia’s far east died Thursday after the aircraft crashed while approaching Tynda during poor weather, according to officials. The Antonov An-24, operated by Angara Airlines, lost contact with air traffic control during its final approach. The plane had departed from Khabarovsk, stopped in Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border, and was headed for Tynda in the Amur region.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the aircraft’s fuselage was located by an Mi-8 search helicopter. Officials reported the wreckage was on fire when discovered 15 kilometers south of Tynda. Images from Russian state media showed debris scattered across thick forest, with smoke rising from the crash site.
Rescuers struggled to reach the area due to its remote and rugged terrain, Amur Governor Vasily Orlov said in a statement. He confirmed that all 48 people on board, including crew members and passengers, were dead.
China’s state news agency Xinhua confirmed that one Chinese national was among the victims.
The aircraft vanished from radar during a second attempt to land in limited visibility, Russia’s transport prosecutor’s office said in an online update. Preliminary findings, according to Russian news agency TASS, suggest pilot error during poor weather could be a factor in the crash.
The An-24 is a Soviet-era twin turboprop aircraft first introduced in the 1960s. Though still in service in some regions, the model is considered outdated by modern aviation standards.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said its teams arrived on the scene shortly after the crash was confirmed, but access to the site was slowed by forest conditions and heavy fog.
This tragedy adds to Russia’s history of aviation incidents in remote regions. In July 2021, an Antonov An-26 crashed in Kamchatka, killing all 28 aboard. Two months later, another An-26 went down in the far east, resulting in six deaths.
While Russia’s overall aviation safety has improved over the past decade, challenges remain in remote territories where harsh weather, poor infrastructure, and aging aircraft are common.
An investigation into the Amur crash is underway. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims, and next-of-kin notifications are ongoing. Russian aviation regulators said black box recovery and analysis will be key in determining the exact cause of the crash.
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