Angara Airlines plane crashes near Tynda in Russia, 48 people feared dead

Investigators have recovered flight data recorders from the wreckage of a plane that disappeared from radar in Russia killing 48 people, as speculation swirls about the crash.

Investigators have recovered flight data recorders from the wreckage of a plane that crashed in Russia’s far east, killing 48 people, and will send them for analysis, authorities said Friday.

The aircraft, an Antonov-24 operated by Angara Airlines, was making a second attempt to land in the remote Siberian town of Tynda when it disappeared from radar around 1:00pm local time (0400 GMT) on Thursday.

A rescue helicopter later spotted the burning fuselage of the plane on a forested mountain slope about 15 kilometres south of Tynda’s airport.

Prosecutors have not commented on what may have caused the crash, but a rescuer quoted by the TASS news agency said the twin-propeller plane - almost 50 years old - was attempting to land in thick cloud.

Investigators are looking into whether the crash was caused by technical malfunction or human error, the agency reported.

A view of the place of the crashed Russian An-24 passenger plane of the Siberia-based Angara Airlines while carrying 49 passengers in 15kms south of Tynda, Far Eastern Amur region of Russia. Picture: Russian Investigative Committee via AP

“The flight recorders have been found at the crash site and will be delivered to Moscow for decryption in the near future,” Russia’s transport ministry said in a statement.

Russian authorities have also launched an investigation into the plane’s operator, Angara Airlines, and whether it complied with regulations, it added.

“Based on the findings, a decision will be made on the company’s future operations,” the ministry said.

Angara Airlines, a small regional carrier based in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, said it was doing “everything possible to investigate the circumstances of the accident”.

Emergency Situations Ministry workers load their equipment into a helicopter prior to fly to the place of the crashed Russian An-24 passenger plane of the Siberia-based Angara Airlines. Picture: Russia Emergency Situations Ministry press service via AP

The company’s CEO, Sergei Salamanov, told Russia’s REN TV channel on Thursday that it was the plane’s captain - an experienced pilot with 11,000 hours of flight time - who decided to make the flight.

“The weather forecast was unfavourable,” he said.

Regional investigators said Friday they had recovered bodies from the wreckage. The plane came down in a hard-to-reach area and it took a ground rescue team hours to reach the site.

Russia’s transport ministry said the families of the 48 killed - six of whom were crew - would receive five million roubles’ (A$96,000) compensation each.

Smoke rises from the place of the crashed Russian An-24 passenger plane of the Siberia-based Angara Airlines. Picture: Russia Emergency Situations Ministry press service via AP

The state TASS news agency reported that the plane was manufactured almost 50 years ago.

“In 2021, the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate was extended until 2036,” it reported, citing a source in aviation services.

Videos published by Russian investigators showed what appeared to be columns of smoke billowing from the wreckage of the plane.

Rescuers in the helicopter saw no evidence of survivors, local authorities said, as the Amur region’s civil defence agency said it was dispatching a ground team to the scene.

“At the moment, 25 people and five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby,” it said.

The forest terrain has made getting to the site difficult, a rescuer told the state TASS news agency.

“The main search operations are being conducted from the air,” they said.

A Russian An-24 passenger plane of the Siberia-based Angara Airlines. Picture: AP

The plane crashed while attempting a second approach to Tynda airport, Russia’s Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor’s Office said.

“While approaching Tynda Airport, the aircraft went around for a second landing, after which contact was lost,” it said.

“The circumstances are being investigated,” it said.

The Antonov-24 is a popular, Soviet-designed twin-propeller plane that first entered into service in 1959.

Russia has taken steps to switch from Soviet aircraft to modern jets in recent years, but ageing light aircraft are still widely used in far-flung regions, with accidents frequent.

Originally published as Angara Airlines plane crashes near Tynda in Russia, 48 people feared dead