A preliminary analysis of the An-26 military airplane crash in northeastern Ukraine suggests that it most likely caught its wing on the ground, Defense Minister Andriy Taran said on Saturday.
A preliminary assessment of flight safety experts showed that the aircraft did not fail with the left engine, as previously reported, but one of its sensors, according to the Defense Ministry's website.
Meanwhile, final conclusions regarding the causes of the plane crash can be made after decoding the black box, which is still on the plane, Taran said.
The minister also said that the crashed An-26 was produced in 1977 and its left engine had more than 5,000 flight hours in reserve before the next repair.
The State Bureau of Investigations reported that they are studying four versions of the plane crash, namely technical malfunction of the aircraft's units, improper performance of the crew's duties, improper performance of the duties by persons who were responsible for flight control, and improper maintenance of the aircraft and its preparation for flight.
The An-26 military aircraft with 27 people on board crashed on Friday. The plane was performing a training flight and was landing at the airfield of a military base near the city of Chuguev, Kharkiv region. So far 26 people have died in the crash.
On Saturday, September 26, President Vladimir Zelensky arrived at the scene of crash of Ukraine's An-26 aircraft near Chuhuiv, reported Zelensky’s press service.
"Day of Mourning has been declared because of the tragedy that took place yesterday in Kharkiv. Four takeoffs and, unfortunately, three landings. Tragic statistics, which, unfortunately, led to the death of both cadets and crew," the Ukrainian President said.
Zelensky said that investigative commissions have been set up to investigate the disaster, which included specialists from the Ministry of Defense, the Interior Ministry, the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Investigative Bureau.
The President asked the specialist to collect information about the composition and technical condition of all military equipment in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces. ■
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