All 48 people aboard an Angara Airlines passenger plane died when the aircraft crashed in Russia’s remote Amur region on Thursday, July 24, 2025, officials confirmed. The Soviet-era Antonov An-24 disappeared from radar around 1 p.m. local time while attempting to land at Tynda airport.
The aircraft was flying a regional route from Khabarovsk to Blagoveshchensk and Tynda when it vanished from air traffic control screens. Search and rescue helicopters later spotted the burning wreckage on a mountain slope approximately 10 miles from Tynda airport, with no survivors visible from the air.
Regional Governor Vasily Orlov confirmed that 43 passengers, including five children, and six crew members were aboard the flight. The Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the incident, and the Russian government established a special commission to handle the aftermath.
The Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office indicated the plane was attempting its second landing approach when contact was lost. Weather conditions at Tynda airport were reported as suitable for flying, and the crew had not issued any distress calls before the crash, according to emergency services.
Russian investigators found the aircraft caught fire after impact. Video footage released by authorities showed thick smoke rising from the crash site in densely forested terrain. The remote location complicated rescue efforts, with emergency teams requiring heavy machinery to cut access paths through the swampy forest area.
The aircraft involved was built in 1976, making it nearly 50 years old. According to publicly available databases, this particular Antonov An-24 had previously been operated by Soviet flag carrier Aeroflot before the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The twin turboprop regional aircraft was designed in the late 1950s and is known for its ability to operate from unpaved runways in harsh conditions.
Angara Airlines, based in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, operates the flight service throughout Siberia and Russia’s far east. The carrier operates 10 An-24 aircraft built between 1972 and 1976, according to aviation databases. In 2023, Angara was among airlines that requested the Russian government extend the service life of aging Antonov aircraft due to difficulties replacing them under Western sanctions.
The crash marks Russia’s first fatal passenger aviation incident since July 2021, when an Antonov An-26 went down near Palana in Kamchatka, killing all 28 people aboard. Aviation experts note that Russia has experienced increased mechanical failures on passenger planes since the Ukraine conflict began, as sanctions have limited access to vital spare parts and seized foreign aircraft.
Russian aviation authorities opened a criminal investigation into suspected violations of air traffic and transport rules resulting in multiple deaths through negligence. The Interstate Aviation Committee also launched a separate probe into the incident. Investigators are considering both mechanical malfunction and human error as potential causes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent condolences to Putin after reports confirmed at least one Chinese national was among the passengers. The crash occurred near the Chinese border, approximately 125 miles from the international boundary.
Regional authorities declared three days of mourning and ordered flags lowered to half-mast. Governor Orlov offered condolences to victims’ families and established a hotline for those affected by the tragedy. More than 100 search and rescue personnel were deployed to the crash site.
The An-24 aircraft, nicknamed “flying tractors” by some in the Russian aviation industry, are considered reliable workhorses capable of operating in sub-zero conditions without requiring paved runways. However, maintenance costs have increased significantly since Western sanctions limited access to replacement parts following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Many of these Soviet-era aircraft were scheduled for retirement in coming years, but regional airlines are attempting to extend their service life until replacements become available. Mass production of Russia’s new Ladoga aircraft, designed as an An-24 replacement, is not expected to begin until 2027 at the earliest.
The aircraft involved had experienced at least two technical malfunctions since 2022, including a generator failure in May 2022 and radio communication problems in March 2025 that forced a return to the parking area during a flight from Irkutsk to Kirensk.
Aviation incidents remain frequent in Russia’s remote regions, where extreme weather conditions and aging aircraft create challenging operating environments. The vast distances and limited infrastructure in areas like the Amur region make emergency response particularly difficult when accidents occur.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/24/world/russia-plane-missing-amur-region-intl-hnk
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/russia/russia-plane-missing-amur-angara-rcna220737
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/24/passenger-plane-missing-russia-far-east-an-24-angara
https://www.courthousenews.com/plane-crash-in-russias-far-east-kills-nearly-50-people/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/plane-crash-russia-far-east-49-on-board-fuselage-found-in-flames/
