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Russia’s 50-Year-Old An-24 Plane Crashes With 49 Onboard in Far East
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
A Soviet-designed An-24 aircraft with 49 people on board has crashed in Russia’s Far East, roughly 15 kilometers from the city of Tynda in Amur Oblast, Russian emergency services told Russian media outlet Interfax on July 24.
The twin turboprop was carrying 43 passengers—five of them children—and six crew members.
The plane, operated by Angara Airlines, was flying the route Khabarovsk–Blagoveshchensk–Tynda when it failed to land on the first approach and disappeared from radar after initiating a second landing attempt.
First footage from the crash site of the An-24 in the Amur region, Russia. The plane crashed 15 kilometers from the city of Tynda. There were 48 people on board. All are presumed dead.
— Russian Market (@runews) July 24, 2025
Technical failure and pilot error are being considered the main causes of the tragedy.… pic.twitter.com/50ehCLAyFg
“Near the final approach point, it failed to check in. There’s no contact with the aircraft,” a source told Interfax.
The Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsiya said emergency crews had been dispatched to search for the missing plane.
According to the outlet Baza, initial search efforts included a Mi-8 helicopter and a 12-person ground team, but after they found no trace of the aircraft, the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) brought in additional aerial resources.
💥 Russian An-24 Passenger Plane Crashes: All 49 On Board Presumed Dead
— Devana 🇺🇦 (@DevanaUkraine) July 24, 2025
A tragic aviation disaster has struck Russia: an An-24 passenger plane with 49 people on board crashed near Tynda in the Amur region. According to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM), the… pic.twitter.com/eKYm8LpvpN
TASS reported that the aircraft was nearly 50 years old. Despite its age, the An-24 had a certificate of airworthiness valid until 2036.
Russia’s aging civilian aviation sector has been under severe strain since Western sanctions cut off access to aircraft, spare parts, and maintenance services in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In response to the sanctions, Russian authorities extended the service life of aging Soviet-era aircraft, including the Yak-40, which flies socially critical routes in the country’s northwest and Far East. The allowed service life was recently stretched from 50 to 60 years.
The Kremlin also announced an ambitious plan to revitalize the domestic aviation industry, promising over 1,000 new Russian-built aircraft by 2030—including 51 Il-114-300s and 105 TVRS-44 “Ladoga” regional airliners.
But three years into the war, those targets remain wildly unmet. According to Kommersant, only five planes have been built so far—three Tu-214s and two Il-96-300s.
In early 2025, the Russian government slashed its aircraft production targets by 50%. Meanwhile, 58 planes were retired in 2024 alone, and the country’s fleet has shrunk to just 1,138 airplanes and 920 helicopters.
The Aeroprogress Research Center has warned that, unless the situation improves, Russia will see a major decline in both domestic and international passenger flights in 2025 due to a severe shortage of airworthy aircraft.
Earlier, a Russian air defense system reportedly opened fire on a civilian airliner approaching Moscow, narrowly avoiding a deadly incident after mistaking the passenger jet for an incoming drone.
