All news

Airplane An-24 crashed at Donetsk airport assembled at Kiev aviation plant in 1973

According to the preliminary reports, the air crash occurred during the landing due to the bad visibility
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

DONETSK, February 14 (Itar-Tass) – An airplane An-24, which crashed at the Donetsk international airport on Wednesday evening, was assembled at the Kiev aviation plant Aviant on June 29, 1973.

The airplane was initially included in the Simferopol united air fleet, then the Crimean Airlines operated the airplane. In 2007-2012 the airplane belonged to the air company Roza Vetrov, the specialists of which repaired the airplane, extending its service life and converting the passenger compartment, which was equipped with 36 economic-class seats and eight premium-class seats. In the previous year the Yuzhnye Airlines purchased the airplane. The airplane with a long service life served the Odessa-Donetsk flights, the last one of which ended in a tragedy on Wednesday. The airplane was to fly back to Odessa at about 03:00 Moscow time on Thursday.

According to the preliminary reports, the air crash occurred during the landing due to the bad visibility. The pilot was going to make a go-around manoeuvre, but miscalculated the altitude and caught the ground with the wing. The airplane crashed and fell into pieces. The fire broke out onboard the airplane. Five people were killed and another 30 people got different wounds in the air crash. All of them received the medical aid.

Several years ago airplanes An-24 were found inferior to the flight rules in Ukraine over the lack of the radar system, which warns about other approaching aircraft. As many as 162 airplanes An-24 were lost in the catastrophes, crashes and combat actions, according to the statistical reports. In the crashes of these airplanes 2,120 people were killed, including 29 people on the ground. Another four people died in 33 attempts to capture or hijack the airplanes An-24.