Select Language:
A Russian An-26 military transport aircraft crashed into a cliff in Crimea, resulting in the deaths of all 29 people on board. The incident was likely caused by a technical failure, according to Russia’s defense ministry. Early Wednesday, news agencies reported that communication with the aircraft was lost around 6 p.m. local time (3 p.m. GMT) during a scheduled flight over Crimea, a region annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, characterized by rugged mountains descending to the Black Sea coast.
A search operation uncovered the crash site, confirming the fatalities of six crew members and 23 passengers, though official details about the total number aboard remain unconfirmed. The aircraft, a light tactical military transport used for cargo and up to 40 passengers over short and medium routes, was reportedly unaffected by external impacts such as missiles, drones, or birds.
Russia’s defense officials have indicated that the crash’s initial cause points to a technical malfunction, with a military commission investigating the site. No immediate comment was provided by the defense ministry outside of typical working hours.
The An-26 has been operational since the late 1960s, serving both military and commercial purposes, though it has experienced several deadly accidents over the past decade. In 2022, a Ukrainian An-26 crashed during a technical flight in southeastern Zaporizhzhia, killing one person. Another accident in northeastern Ukraine in 2020 resulted in the deaths of 26 people. Similarly, in 2017, an An-26 crash in Ivory Coast claimed four lives, and in 2020, a crash in South Sudan killed eight people, including five Russians.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
