MOSCOW

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case regarding violations of air safety regulations after Thursday's An-24 passenger plane crash in the Amur region, exploring possibilities such as technical failure or pilot error.

At the crash site, flight recorders were found intact and will be delivered to Moscow for decoding, the committee said in a statement on Friday.

The An-24 aircraft operated by Angara Airlines, en route from Khabarovsk to Tynda, lost contact at a control point just kilometers away from its destination.

The plane did not transmit any signals indicating possible problems in the air and is said to have disappeared from radar after making a second approach attempt for landing.

According to aviation rescue services, the aircraft was attempting to land under conditions of heavy cloud cover and surrounded by mountains.

Aviation authorities had described the weather near the airport as "suitable for receiving flights."

There were around 50 people on board, including six crew members, some of whom were foreign nationals, and there were no survivors.

Amur region Governor Vasily Orlov said there were 43 passengers aboard, including five children, while operational services reported there were 40 passengers, including two children.

The foreign ministries of China and Belarus confirmed that their one citizen each was also on board.

After receiving reports about the missing aircraft, emergency responders dispatched rescuers to the area with assistance from Rosaviation's aerial vehicle.

Search efforts had to focus primarily on aerial operations due to dense taiga forests and swamps, leading to debris being discovered mid-day on a mountain slope, 16 km from Tynda.

Following the accident, the Interstate Aviation Committee launched an investigation into the incident, while the Russian government established a commission to address the aftermath. A crisis headquarters was set up locally to manage the situation.

The aircraft was manufactured nearly 50 years ago. In 2021, despite having been involved in four aviation incidents since 2018, including wing damage during taxiing, the plane’s airworthiness certificate was extended until 2036.

Before taking off, according to airline officials, the aircraft underwent necessary preflight inspections.