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Only one survivor after the Ukrainian military plane crash
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Antonov AN-26 on fire after accident near Kharkov
Source: dpa / –
In Ukraine, a military plane carrying air force recruits crashed during the approach. Only one inmate survived. Apparently an engine in the 40-year-old machine had failed. Flight recorder found.
meOne of the 27 prisoners survived a military plane crash in eastern Ukraine. According to the treating hospital, the military man suffered a concussion on Saturday, but was not in danger of death. A second survivor of the accident had previously succumbed to his injuries, according to the Health Ministry. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited the only survivor of the accident at the Kharkiv hospital in eastern Ukraine on Saturday, honoring him for his “heroism.”
The Antonov-26 transport plane crashed on Friday as it approached the airstrip in Chuhuiv, in the Kharkiv region. According to the Ukrainian authorities, there were seven crew members and 20 students from an Air Force university on board. Therefore, the cadets did not participate in the control of the machine. Investigations into the cause of the accident continued.
The governor of the area, Alexei Kutschera, said that one of the aircraft’s engines had failed before the accident. According to previous knowledge, the sensors of the Antonov AN-26 machine in the left engine should have failed, Defense Minister Andrej Taran said on Saturday. Military equipment in the Ukraine, which suffers from chronic dampness, is often outdated.
Flight recorder found
Antonov’s flight recorder has been found. Military experts also examined the accident scene at Chuhujiw in the Kharkiv region to clarify the exact cause of the accident, Defense Minister Taran said. “Of course this is a terrible tragedy, we will find out why. The final conclusions will be drawn after evaluating the flight recorders, ”he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj visited the crash site on Saturday. “Ukraine has lost 26 of its children,” he said on Facebook, proclaiming a national day of mourning. Zelenskyi called for an “objective” investigation into the cause of the accident.
Many accidents with the type of plane.
The crashed Antonov-26 model is a short and medium-range twin-engine military transport aircraft manufactured by the Ukrainian design bureau OK Antonow. The first such flight was in 1969. Production stopped in 1986. According to the Ministry of Defense, the model of the accident was delivered in 1977. Antonov produced more than 1400 copies of the aircraft, on which a maximum of 40 can fly passengers.
Time and again, the AN-26 crashes cause a stir. The industry service Aviation Safety Network lists 168 crashes and incidents in which the aircraft was destroyed. Most recently, on August 22, an AN-26 crashed in South Sudan shortly after takeoff. Seven people died in the process. Apparently the plane was overloaded.
In 2018, 2019 and 2020 alone, there were nine serious incidents or crashes. One of the most serious accidents was the accident of an AN-26 in service with the Russian armed forces in Syria in March 2018. All 39 people on board were killed in a failed landing.
