Soviet-era plane crashes in Russia's far east killing all on board
:: Russian Investigative Committee/Handout
A Soviet-era plane carrying 48 people crashed in Russia's far east on Thursday as it was preparing to land, killing everyone on board.
The Antonov An-24, made in 1976, was spotted by a search helicopter after it disappeared from radar screens.
:: Federal Air Transport Agency
It had been attempting to land for a second time after failing to touch down on its first approach, the Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office said in a statement.
The plane was operated by the privately owned Siberian regional airline Angara and was carrying 42 passengers, including five children, and six crew.
It had been en route from the city of Blagoveshchensk near the Chinese border, to Tynda.
:: Far Eastern Transport Prosecutor's Office/Handout
There were no roads to the site, and a rescue team had to use heavy machinery to cut a path.
Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into the suspected violation of air traffic and air transport rules.
Russian news agencies reported the plane had recently passed a technical safety inspection and had been involved in four apparently minor incidents since 2018.
President Vladimir Putin held a minute's silence at the start of a government meeting, and expressed his condolences to the families of those killed.
The crash is likely to raise new questions about the viability of continuing to fly such old planes in far-flung corners of Russia.
Western sanctions have crimped Moscow's ability to access investment and spare parts.
More than 1,300 An-24 planes were built in the Soviet Union.
Data from the RussianPlanes web-portal and Reuters analysis found 88 have now been lost because of crashes and 65 because of serious incidents without casualties.
Another 75 are currently in operation.
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