"The area has been roughly determined within 15-25 kilometers from the airport, along the coastline. A search is also underway at sea," he said. "The objective data shows that the aircraft crashed into the sea," the source added.
The An-26 passenger plane belonging to the Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise went missing earlier on Tuesday. There were 22 passengers, among them a child, and six crew members aboard the plane en route from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana. An emergency source told TASS that contact with the aircraft had been lost during its landing.
One theory is that the crash could have been caused by a piloting mistake due to poor visibility. A criminal case has been opened over violating air transport safety and operational regulations. The Russian aviation authority has established a commission to look into the circumstances of the accident, which is led by Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev.
The aircraft’s certificate of flight worthiness is due to expire on August 30, 2021. The plane has been in operation since October 20, 1982.
A separate air accident involving another company plane occurred near Palana on September 12, 2012. Back then, an An-28 plane flying from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky crashed killing ten out of 14 people onboard. Both crew members were found to have alcohol in their blood.
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