The Antonov An-26 twin-engined turboprop has reportedly crashed in the far east of Russia, killing all 28 people on board, including crew members.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS), the plane lost contact with air traffic control while flying from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana.

Citing sources, Interfax stated that the plane was assumed to have crashed into a cliff as it was advancing to land in poor visibility conditions.

When the plane went missing, the weather in the area was cloudy at that time.

The aircraft’s crash location was cited after the MChS dispatched a helicopter and deployed teams on the ground to search for the missing plane, confirmed the Russian Civil Aviation Authority.

Local officials informed that the plane’s debris was located in the sea and on land.

The Kamchatka transportation prosecutor’s office told Al Jazeera that the reason for the accident is currently ‘being investigated.’

MChS said that the plane was carrying 22 passengers and six crew on board.

Local authorities were quoted by Russian News Agency TASS as saying that the mayor of Palana, Olga Mokhireva, was also onboard.

TASS reported that the Antonov An-26 twin-engined turboprop had been in service since 1982.

Although the Russian aviation safety standards have improved lately, the country has experienced several deadly air accidents in the past years.

In May 2019, a Russian passenger aeroplane was engulfed in flames at Sheremetyevo Airport (SVO), claiming the lives of at least 41 passengers.

Flight SU 1492, operated by Russian carrier Aeroflot, was flying with 73 passengers and five crew members on board from Moscow to Murmansk, a Russian city in the Arctic Circle.

Furthermore, difficult weather conditions prevailing in the country’s isolated regions has also made flying dangerous in Russia.

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Source: https://www.aerospace-technology.com/news/plane-crash-in-russia/