Moscow: The ill-fated flight, operated by Angara Airlines, was en route to the remote Siberian town of Tynda when it vanished from radar during a second landing attempt in heavy cloud cover. The twin-propeller aircraft, reportedly nearly 50 years old, crashed in a rugged and inaccessible area, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach the site.

Russian Ministry of Transport officials confirmed that the plane’s two flight data recorders were located at the crash site and will be sent to Moscow for decoding.

While the exact cause remains undetermined, sources cited by the TASS news agency suggest poor weather and aging aircraft infrastructure may have played a role. Prosecutors are examining both mechanical failure and human error as part of the ongoing investigation.

In parallel, Russian authorities have launched a separate probe into the airline’s regulatory compliance. Angara Airlines, a small regional carrier based in Irkutsk, stated it is cooperating fully and “doing everything in its power to investigate the circumstances of the incident.”