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Pilot’s mistake might be cause of plane's crash landing in Russia — source

There were no casualties or destruction on the ground, the source added

YAKUTSK, December 19. /TASS/. An Ilyushin-18 passenger plane made a crash landing in Yakutia earlier on Monday due to the pilot’s error, a source in the regional emergency services told TASS.

"The plane’s technical condition was not to blame. It was the pilot’s error. While making an attempt to land on landmarkless terrain in polar night conditions the crew misjudged the altitude and lightly hit the ground," the source said.

"There were no messages from the crew about any technical problems on board throughout the flight. The plane’s robust design and technical reliability prevented fatalities," the source said.

The plane itself is damaged beyond repair.

"The crash occurred in an unpopulated area. There were no casualties or destruction on the ground," the source added.

An Ilyushin-18 plane crash-landed 30 kilometers away from Tiksi airdrome at 04:45 Moscow time as it was completing a routine flight from Kansk. The Defense Ministry said there were 32 officers and seven crew on board. Thirty two military servicemen have been taken to a hospital in Tiksi. Defense Ministry specialists have recovered the plane’s cockpit voice and flight data recorders.