A heartbreaking scene unfolded in the far east of Russia as a nearly 50-year-old passenger plane carrying around 50 people, including 5 children, crashed into a forest while trying to land on Thursday.
🚁 A rescue helicopter spotted the wreckage—a burning airplane body—deep in a thick forest. Pale smoke was rising from the crash site, and rescue teams were rushing to get there, even though the area was hard to reach.
📍 The plane, an Antonov An-24, was flying from Blagoveshchensk to a remote town called Tynda, near the border of China. Suddenly, it vanished from radar just as it was getting ready to land.
🧑✈️👶 On board were 43 passengers, including five young kids, and six crew members. Some government sources said the number might be 42 passengers—but all feared no one survived.
🔍 The crash happened about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the Tynda airport. Authorities said a special team was sent to investigate what went wrong.
💬 The emergency services posted:
“A helicopter found the burning plane. Rescuers are still trying to reach the area.”
The plane belonged to Angara Airlines, a small airline in Siberia. This particular plane was built in 1976—yes, that’s almost 50 years ago! It was originally flown by Aeroflot, the Soviet Union’s airline, long before the USSR ended in 1991.
🛩️ These old planes, called An-24s, are known in Russia as “flying tractors” because they’re tough, reliable, and can land on snow and rough ground. But they are also very old, and hard to maintain—especially since Russia has been hit by Western sanctions after the war in Ukraine. Now, it’s harder to get airplane parts, so keeping these old planes flying is more dangerous.
Angara Airlines asked the government to extend the life of their aging An-24 planes since they don’t have new ones yet. A replacement plane called Ladoga isn’t ready until 2027.
🕊️ Russian President Vladimir Putin has already been informed about the crash, and a government investigation is now underway.
🇷🇺 Russia is now facing a difficult question:
Can they keep flying these aging planes… or is it time to ground them for good?
This tragedy is a painful reminder that even tough old planes can’t fly forever—and that people’s lives must come first.
