Soviet‑Era An‑24 Aircraft Crashes in Russia’s Far East

Prime Highlights

One of the Soviet-era An-24 planes that crash-landed in a remote region near Tynda killed 48 passengers and crew.

This incident is an indication of increasing alarm with Russia’s fleets of aging aircraft as well as maintenance issues.

Key Fact

The 1976-made plane was operated by Angara Airlines and had earlier technical issues.

There has been a probe initiated by the authorities into suspected violation of aviation safety regulations.

Major Background

A devastating air crash shook Russia’s Far East on 24 July 2025, when Soviet-built Angara Airlines Antonov An-24 aircraft crashed during the second landing in Tynda in Russia’s Amur region. Fifty-three-year-old Captain Anatoly Evdokimov and six flight crew and five children were among all 48 passengers who died in the crash. The aircraft went off radar after a second attempted landing after the first one that was thwarted by reportedly bad weather.

The An-24 had been constructed in 1976 and was almost five decades old and just recently had gone through a technical checkup. In aviation history, the plane had reported four minor accidents since 2018. Nevertheless, it was still airworthy, proof of Russia‘s inventory of using old Soviet-built aircraft, particularly where it operates above remote areas where new ones are too pricey or have payment arrears.

Rescue and salvage work was also very difficult because the crash location was far from any road network, deep in the hilly and dense jungles. Firefighters used helicopters and heavy machinery to access the blazing wreckage and committed close to 150 staff members to the operation. Overall deaths stunned the airline industry and subjecting the flight safety practices to rigorous examination in operations in the region.

There was a question about how the aircraft crashed, and preliminary reports elicited eyebrows over the possible pilot error, technical breakdown, or external elements as likely reasons. System-related factors such as sanctions-related problems on aircraft spare parts replacement and maintenance are identified by experts as secondary causes of the crash.

The crash again puts the safety of such vintage planes as the An-24 into question, while Russia only postponed a replacement program until at least 2027, air regulator officials promised a full investigation, with national politicians headed by President Vladimir Putin expressing condolences to the families of the victims.