Passenger Plane Crashes In Russia Killing 50

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A nearly 50-year-old Russian Antonov An-24 passenger plane carrying about 50 people crashed in Russia’s far east Thursday, and everyone on board was feared dead, emergency services officials and witnesses said.

Authorities said it crashed en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk to Tynda, a remote town and essential railway junction in the Amur region bordering China. It dropped off radar screens while preparing to land.

Video shot from a helicopter and posted on social media showed the plane came down in a densely forested area on a hill around 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the town of Tynda.

Pale smoke rose from the crash site. Authorities said the aircraft was operated by the privately owned Siberian-based regional airline Angara.

Witnesses said the aircraft’s tail number showed it was built in 1976 and had been operated by Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The burning fuselage of the plane, which was made in the Soviet era and was nearly 50 years old, was spotted on the ground by a helicopter, and rescue crews were rushing to the scene.

There were 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members on board according to preliminary data, Vasily Orlov, the regional governor said. Russia’s government estimated the number of passengers on board to be 42.

While it was not immediately clear what caused the crash, there has been concern about the aging Antonov aircraft, which are part of a fleet of over 1,000 passenger planes in Russia.

Additionally, foreign manufacturers operating in Russia or delivering aircraft parts to the country halted operations due to sanctions imposed on the government over its war against Ukraine.

Many of the planes were due to be retired from service in the coming years. Still, regional airlines are trying to keep them flying until a replacement enters service, as they say there is no alternative until then.

Mass production of the new Ladoga aircraft, which is in the same class as the An-24, is not due to begin until 2027 at the earliest.

Angara, operating the crashed aircraft, was reportedly one of two Siberian airlines that last year asked the Russian government to extend the service life of the Antonov aircraft, many of which are over 50 years old.

It suggested that Russian planemakers scramble to plug the gap left by an exodus of foreign manufacturers.

Nicknamed “flying tractors” by some, the propeller-driven An-24s were long seen as reliable workhorses by the Russian aviation industry. They are well-suited to the harsh conditions in Siberia as they can operate in sub-zero conditions and don’t have to land on runways.

However, without enough maintenance options, airline executives, pilots, and industry experts have expressed concerns about the cost of maintaining the Antonovs.

Reuters news agency reported that mass production of the new Ladoga aircraft, which is in the same class as the An-24, is not due to begin until 2027 at the earliest.

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