The aircraft has crashed in the Kharkiv region.
An Antonov An-26 of the Ukrainian Air Force has crashed around 20.50LT on Sept. 25, 2020. The military aircraft came down about 1.2 km from the the runway of Chuhuiv, in the Eastern Kharkiv region.
Officials said 27 people were aboard the An-26, including 7 crew members and 20 cadets of the Ivan Kozhedub National Air Force University located in the city of Kharkiv. At the time of writing, 22 have been confirmed dead, while 2 are hospitalised. The rest are still missing.
Several videos posted online show the airframe engulfed in flames near a highway.
Ukrainian An-26 transport reportedly crashed near Chuhuiv in Kharkiv region https://t.co/dbpXo5muBn #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/mlLSJiKhvA
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) September 25, 2020
The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engine, high-wing turboprop utility transport aircraft that first flew in 1969. Since then, nearly 1,500 have been built by Russian aircraft company Antonov. In the nearly half-century since the aircraft has been flying it has established a somehow good record for dependability and the ability to operate from undeveloped, rough field airstrips. According to some sources, the Antonov was the airframe with tail code “76” belonging to the 203th Educational Aviation Brigade based at Chuhuiv. It was An-26Sh, a customized variant tailored for navigator trainings.
Ukrainian EMERCOM confirms that plane crashed in Kharkiv region https://t.co/aMxrGfzPBa via @5channel #Ukraine
another video: https://t.co/qaakYbUPCj pic.twitter.com/cl0fiZoZ61
— Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) September 25, 2020
RT reported that local media have cited military sources who said the plane crashed due to engine malfunction. The pilot allegedly reported one of the engines breaking down shortly before the impact.
