Uncovered irregularities in the proprietor of the wrecked An-24 aircraft.

Uncovered irregularities in the proprietor of the wrecked An-24 aircraft.

On July 24, 2025, an An-24 "Angara" aircraft, operated by Russian airline Angara Airlines, crashed while attempting a second landing on a runway in Blagoveshchensk, resulting in the tragic loss of all 48 people on board. This devastating incident has prompted a thorough investigation into the causes of the accident, as well as a closer examination of the airline's safety and maintenance practices.

Recent investigations have revealed serious safety and maintenance violations within Angara Airlines, particularly concerning the aging Soviet-era An-24 aircraft model involved in the crash. A month before the tragic event, Russia’s transportation watchdog, Rostransnadzor, conducted an inspection following a May 2025 runway overshot incident involving an An-24 "Angara" in Kirensk (Irkutsk region). The inspection uncovered significant maintenance shortcomings, such as sloppy work and falsified records affecting aircraft that had exceeded their service life.

Despite grounding eight aircraft due to these violations, the airline was still allowed to continue operations, a decision that has attracted criticism given the severity of the findings. The An-24 crash itself does not appear to have been directly caused by a technical failure, but evidence suggests a combination of technical malfunction and pilot error may have contributed, according to preliminary investigations by the Russian Investigative Committee, which has opened a criminal case concerning violations of air safety regulations.

The captain of the crashed aircraft had approximately 11,000 flight hours of experience, raising questions about the quality of training and qualifications of the airline's pilots. The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, with the partial decoding of flight recorders from the crashed An-24 aiming to clarify the exact chain of events leading to the accident.

The An-24 aircraft involved in the crash was in service since 1976, and the inspection findings suggest that similar situations may have been prevented with proper maintenance and adherence to regulations. The impromptu inspection was triggered by the May 2025 incident, where an An-24 "Angara" in Kirensk overshot the runway due to a failure of the landing gear strut.

The investigation highlights the broader problem within Russian civil aviation, where inspections frequently uncover serious safety violations, especially with old and poorly maintained aircraft. Angara Airlines' general director, Sergei Salamonov, stated that the aircraft was airworthy, but Rostransnadzor's data raises questions about the quality of technical control within the airline. Alexander Prokhodtsev, deputy head of Rostransnadzor, demanded that the "Angara" management provide a plan to rectify the violations.

As a result of the inspection, four engineering and technical workers were barred from service, and a three-day mourning period was declared in the Amur region from July 25. No information was provided about the nationalities of the passengers and crew members. The incident has sparked calls for increased scrutiny of Russian civil aviation safety standards and a renewed focus on addressing the maintenance and safety issues that have been uncovered in recent investigations.

1. The thorough investigation into the causes of the Angara Airlines' An-24 aircraft crash on July 24, 2025, has unearthed serious safety and maintenance violations within the Russian airline industry.
2. The An-24 crash was not directly caused by a technical failure, but preliminary investigations suggest a combination of technical malfunction and pilot error may have contributed.
3. The captain of the crashed aircraft had approximately 11,000 flight hours of experience, raising questions about the quality of training and qualifications of the airline's pilots, particularly in the realm of politics and policy-and-legislation.
4. The incident has sparked general news debate about the broader problem within Russian civil aviation, where inspections frequently uncover similar safety violations, especially with aging aircraft in the transportation sector.
5. The accident has attracted crime-and-justice criticism, as Russia’s transportation watchdog, Rostransnadzor, had grounded eight aircraft due to violations, yet Angara Airlines was still permitted to continue operations.
6. The ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash has prompted calls for increased scrutiny of Russian civil aviation safety standards, with a renewed focus on addressing the maintenance and safety issues that have been uncovered, particularly in war-and-conflicts regions experiencing migration.

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