Il‑76 crash near Ivanovo: Military response to onsite tragedy

In Iwanovo, northeast of Moscow, a military transport aircraft, the Il-76, crashed. Eyewitnesses reported that smoke could be seen near the northern airport. Military equipment was dispatched to the crash site, as reported by the Nexta agency.

On March 12, at around 10:00 AM Greenwich Time, in the Ivanovo region, one of the Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft crashed, announced the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The crash occurred shortly after takeoff, with 15 people on board (eight crew members and seven passengers), as the ministry reported. According to preliminary findings, one of the engines caught fire. A special commission of the Supreme Command of the Russian Air Force, which went to the accident site, is to determine the exact cause of the crash.

As reported on Telegram by the channel Baza, the aircraft took off from Severny Airport and remained airborne for several minutes. During a turn, the engine caught fire. According to preliminary reports, the pilot attempted to return to the airport, but upon realizing this was not possible, he began to steer the aircraft towards residential buildings. Shortly after, the plane crashed near a cemetery beside a forest.

Witnesses reported visible plumes of smoke and sounds of explosions. Social media has released recordings of the moment of the incident. The footage shows the aircraft with a burning engine circling in the sky before suddenly beginning to fall.

Source: Nexta, RIA Novosti, Baza