Footage showing the crash of a Russian An-22 military transport aircraft in Russia’s Ivanovo Oblast appeared online,published by the Russian Telegram channel Mash on Dec. 14.
The An-22 Antey can be seen disintegrating as it flies, with the tail section snapping off behind the wing moments before the aircraft plunges into the water. The huge plane smashed into the Uvodskoye Reservoir in Russia’s Ivanovo region, far from the fighting in Ukraine.
The crash happened on December 9, The Daily Express US reports. Russia’s state propaganda agency TASS, citing emergency services, reported that there were seven crew members on board. Telegram channel Mash said the entire crew was killed in the crash.
Cause of the crash
Preliminary reports indicate the cause was a failure of the control actuators, which may have been poorly serviced before takeoff, Mash reported. The Antonov was on a test flight following maintenance work, though Russia’s 308th Air Repair Plant has denied responsibility for the crash.
There has been speculation that overloading may have caused the midair break-up, which occurred without any sign of fire. At the time, Mash news outlet reported: “The crew did their best to steer the aircraft away from populated areas until the last moment.” However, it remains unclear how much control the pilots retained as the plane came apart.
Significance of the loss
Pavlo Narozhnyi, founder of the Reactive Mail charitable foundation and a military expert, said on Radio NV that the crash of the An-22 is evidence of the degradation of Russian aviation. He noted that the aircraft’s crew consisted of mid- and high-level command personnel.
“This is a military aircraft. It is essentially a mobile headquarters. The main blow is not the aircraft itself, because it is fairly old equipment. The key issue is the loss of those seven people [who were on board] — mid- and high-level command staff. That means ranks such as major, lieutenant colonel and colonel,” Narozhnyi said.
The An-22 is the world’s largest turboprop aircraft, designed to transport heavy and oversized weapons. Known to NATO as the ‘Cock’, the An-22 has a 210ft wingspan, four turboprop engines and can carry payloads of up to 80 tonnes.
Pro-Kremlin SHOT media said the An-22 was “the last operational aircraft of this type in the Russian Armed Forces.” The aircraft was believed to be around 51 years old and was the oldest plane of its type still flying with Vladimir Putin’s armed forces.
Investigation underway
A Defence Ministry commission has been dispatched to investigate the loss. Emergency crews have been diving daily in freezing conditions at the artificial lake since the crash, searching for victims and clues to what caused the disaster. The reservoir is thought to be around 23ft deep.
Russia, which has lost dozens of aircraft during the war and has faced sanctions affecting fleet maintenance, has increasingly relied on ageing planes. Despite plans to retire the aircraft last year, it remained in service with Putin’s war machine.
