A PASSENGER plane has crashed into a remote mountainside, with all 49 people on board – including five children – now feared dead.
The An-24 aircraft, almost 50 years old, disappeared without a trace as it battled low clouds and driving rain.
The An-24 passenger plane shortly before it crashed near Tynda in eastern Russia
The crash site of the An-24 passenger plane
East2WestAn Mi-8 rescue chopper spotted the crashed plane in a mountainous region[/caption]
The plane had gone missing as it tried its second approach into Tynda airport (pictured)
The plane was on its second approach to land at Tynda airport in Russia’s far-east Amur region when it slammed into a mountain slope.
Emergency officials confirmed the worst on Thursday afternoon when the burning wreckage of the plane was discovered nine miles from the airport.
The fuselage was found ablaze, said the Ministry of Emergency Situations, after an Mi-8 rescue helicopter spotted the crash site amid dense forest and mountainous terrain.
There were no immediate signs of survivors after an initial aerial inspection, reported RIA Novosti state news agency.
On board were five children, four crew members, and two airline employees.
Conflicting early reports put the total number of passengers and crew at either 48 or 49.
Footage captured the doomed aircraft moments before impact, flying low through light rain – appearing to operate normally, right up until disaster struck.
Separate video from rescuers showed the horror aftermath: smoking wreckage strewn through dense woodland, with debris burning and smoke curling into the trees.
A 25-strong rescue team is now trekking for over an hour through harsh terrain to reach the wreckage on foot.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was briefed on the crash, his spokesman confirmed, as more details emerged about those on board the doomed flight.
The captain of the An-24 was identified as Vyacheslav Logvinov, 61, from Irkutsk.
Also among the victims was Dr Leonid Maizel, 71, a well-known thoracic surgeon from Khabarovsk Regional Clinical Hospital No. 1.
Other named victims included Daria Izvarina, 33, from Blagoveshchensk, and Natalia Shiyan, 33, who held a master’s degree in Chemical and Biological Technologies.
She was travelling with her husband, Sergei Shiyan, 32.
Another passenger was Yuri Sladkov, 27, from Khabarovsk.
Officials earlier said: “On July 24 at 15:26 [local time], the missing An-24 passenger plane was discovered 16 km [9 miles] from Tynda towards Kuvykta on a mountain slope.
“According to the director of the Tynda airport, the plane caught fire when it crashed.
“No survivors were found when the Mi-8 flew around from the air.
“Rescuers are heading to the scene.
“At the moment, 25 people, five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby.”
The doomed flight had earlier taken off from Blagoveshchensk after a two-hour delay.
It was the plane’s final leg before landing in Tynda – a key rail hub in the region – when it disappeared without warning.
Vyacheslav Logvinov, the captain of the crashed An-24 aircraft
Daria Izvarina, 33, victim of the AN-24 crash in Amur region
Sergei Shiyan, 32, was also on board the doomed AN-24 when the crash happened
Natalia Shiyan, 33, was named as another victim of the crash
Emergency services earlier told Interfax: “The An-24 plane was flying the Khabarovsk-Blagoveshchensk-Tynda route.
“Near the final point, it failed to check in. There is no contact with it.”
A criminal case has now been opened by Russia’s Investigative Committee for Transport to determine the cause of the crash.
Early reports pointed to pilot error in poor visibility as the likely cause.
One pro-Kremlin outlet said: “The preliminary cause of the crash is pilot error in poor visibility due to bad weather.
“It is not yet known who was landing: Logvinov or the co-pilot Kirill Plaksin.”
Meanwhile, regional governor Vasily Orlov announced that the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Amur Region has opened a hotline for relatives after the missing plane was discovered.
The Antonov An-24 is a twin turboprop designed in Kyiv in the 1950s during the Soviet era.
But it is still in use across Russia despite its age and a series of past accidents.
The An-24 that crashed was 49 years old, built at the Kyiv Aviation Plant in 1976, and had seen no significant modernisation.
Russia has long faced criticism over poor aviation safety standards, especially in remote regions with ageing aircraft and limited infrastructure.
As anger grows over the use of aging planes, a leading aviation expert issued a stark warning.
Vadim Bazykin, a highly respected test pilot, said: “I think it would be better to ban flights on such old equipment if we are unable to bring it up to standard.
“We are simply putting passengers at risk all the time.”
Bazykin said the aircraft had been flying over harsh terrain and heading toward a difficult landing strip.
“The crashed An-24 was flying in difficult terrain, and the airfield in Tynda is considered mountainous while the surrounding terrain is inhospitable taiga,” he told Izvestia.
“There are small clearings that only a helicopter or, at most, an An-2 aircraft can land on, but certainly not an An-24.
“In other words, it must be understood that landing outside the aerodrome is always a disaster.”
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Smoke could be seen billowing from the forest area where the crash took place
Antonov An-24 is a twin turboprop designed in the Soviet eraEast2West