The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia confirmed the death of the entire crew of the An-26 laboratory aircraft that crashed in the Khabarovsk Territory, TASS reports on Thursday, September 23.
The press service of the ministry reported that there were no survivors as a result of the disaster.
Earlier, the wife of the co-pilot of the crashed ship said that the plane was sent on a mission despite bad weather conditions. The company "Flight checks and Systems" has instructed to perform the flight despite the rain and strong wind. According to the task, the crew had to check and configure the equipment that helps aircraft to land at the Khabarovsk airport.
The fact that no one survived the crash was previously [...] known earlier. During the survey of the area from the helicopter, no living people were found. A group of rescuers on foot reached the crash site through the mountainous terrain. The search operation was complicated by the fact that the terrain in the area of the disaster is difficult to pass.
The wreckage of the plane was found in the area of the Spartak ski base on the territory of the Bolshekhekhtsirsky Reserve. It was clarified that the aircraft crashed into a ridge three kilometers from the road of the village of Korfovsky.
An-26 disappeared from radar near Khabarovsk on Wednesday, September 22. The aircraft was conducting a technical flight 38 kilometers from the city and suddenly stopped communicating. There was a crew of six people on board. Among the main causes of the emergency, piloting error and adverse weather conditions are considered.
Varvara Koshechkina