An-2 Aircraft Disappearance in Russia Concludes with Positive Outcome: All Passengers Safe
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Vladivostok, Dec 22 (NationPress) The An-2 light aircraft that had gone missing in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula has been successfully located, with all three individuals aboard confirmed to be alive, as stated by local authorities on Sunday.
The trio, which included two crew members and one passenger, was rescued by a Mi-8 helicopter dispatched from Kamchatka's rescue teams and is currently on its way to Milkovskaya District Hospital for health evaluations, according to the regional office of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
As reported by the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, the missing aircraft and its occupants were discovered near Mount Tundrovaya early Sunday.
The plane was traveling from Milkovo to Ossora when it failed to reach its destination on Thursday, triggering a comprehensive search and rescue operation.
The An-2 aircraft, operated by Fair Avia, was reported missing on December 19 over the Kamchatka Peninsula, local officials confirmed.
“At 4:45 a.m. Moscow time (0145 GMT), we received a distress signal from the An-2 aircraft, tail number 33555, at an altitude of 700 meters. The plane was heading from Milkovo to Ossora,” said Sergei Lebedev, the regional emergency minister, via social media.
The aircraft, with three crew members, was presumed to have disappeared approximately 80 km south-southeast of Klyuchi village. Emergency response efforts are actively taking place.
The An-2 is a single-engine aircraft that is frequently utilized in Russia’s remote regions.
On July 16, 2021, an Antonov An-28 passenger plane that disappeared in Siberia with 19 people on board was later found to have everyone survive after it made a hard landing, according to the emergencies ministry.
The aircraft, operated by SiLA, a regional airline in Siberia, went missing while flying from Kedrovy to Tomsk.
However, the aircraft was located following helicopter deployments for search operations.
Authorities confirmed that all 19 passengers were safe and being evacuated from the site.
Despite improvements in Russian aviation safety standards over recent years, incidents, particularly involving older aircraft in isolated areas, continue to occur.
