The carrier operating the flight was Angara Airlines, and, unfortunately, this isn't the first time that one of its Antonov An-24 planes has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The aircraft involved in today's crash is reported to be almost half a century old, indicating the dire situation concerning Russian domestic aviation that forces operators to deploy aging aircraft as sanctions prevent new deliveries.

An Antonov An-24 Has Crashed In Southeastern Russia

According to the Aviation Herald, the flight in question was numbered as HZ2311, and had 49 people onboard, with this figure comprising 43 passengers and six members of crew. It is worth noting that, while this total is corroborated by other sources, such as the Aviation Safety Network, some, like the BBC, have reported a figure of 48 occupants. In any case, early reports suggest there are no survivors.

Flight HZ2311 is a domestic hop operated on behalf of Aurora Airlines that originates at Blagoveshchensk Airport (BQS), with its destination being Tynda Sigikta Airport (TYD). This morning, the flight is said to have performed a go-around before failing to make any further contact and going missing. Its wreckage was found 10 miles (16 km) from Tynda, with ABC quoting an emergency services official as saying that:

The Aircraft Came Down In A Dense Forest

Aerial footage that has emerged of the crash site shows smoke billowing from an area of dense forest. While, as the BBC quotes Amur's regional governor, Vasily Orlov, as having said, "all necessary resources" have been deployed in the rescue and recovery efforts, the remote woodland location could make access somewhat difficult. Five children are said to have been among those on board the flight.

The crash site is located to the southwest of Tynda Airport, with the BBC reporting that rescuers expect their journey to reach the hillside location to take around an hour. Early investigations into the incident, the publication notes, are said to be focusing on the potential of either a technical malfunction or pilot error in poor weather conditions, according to emergency officials involved in the operation.

The Plane Involved Was Almost 50 Years Old

Reporting by the Aviation Safety Network confirms that the registration of the Antonov An-24RV that crashed near Tynda this morning was RA-47315. This twin-turboprop regional airliner was 49 years old, having been built in 1976.

A key reason why Russian domestic and regional airlines are forced to operate such old planes is the fact that Western sanctions imposed on the country prevent the delivery of spare parts (or new planes entirely) for US and European aircraft. With this in mind, ABC notes, airlines in Siberia asked the Russian government in 2023 to extend the service lives of these turboprops, which date back to the Soviet era.

Angara Airlines' Antonov An-24 planes have a checkered safety record at the best of times, with the BBC reporting that RA-47315 has been involved in four incidents since 2018. Prior to that, the Aviation Safety Network notes that it suffered an in-flight depressurization in 2017 during a ferry flight after life extension work. Fatal accidents involving other Angara An-24s also occurred in 2011 and in 2019.