A Polar Airlines Antonov An-24, which was on approach to Zyryanka Airport (ZKP), accidentally landed on the Kolyma River. The incident happened on December 28, 2023, with the airline confirming that there were no casualties or damage to the aircraft after the An-24 landed on the frozen river.
In an initial statement, Polar Airlines said that the Antonov An-24 turboprop landed off the runway of ZKP with 30 passengers and four crew members onboard the aircraft. The airline emphasized that there were no casualties and the aircraft had not sustained any damage, with the local department of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency or Rosaviatsiya (FATA) ordering an investigation of the incident. At the time of writing, the temperature in Zyryanka is -39 °C (-38 °F).
In its follow-up statement, the Russian airline once again emphasized that nobody onboard was injured, with the aircraft staying intact after it had landed on the Kolyma River. “An airline aircraft flew to Zyryanka, which will carry members of the commission to carry out initial actions and establish the causes of the aviation event, as well as specialists from the aviation engineering service and the flight safety inspection,” the carrier added.
“Polar Airlines is providing full assistance in the investigation of this aviation incident. Flight safety is the airline’s main priority. Upon completion of the investigation and clarification of the causes and conditions of this aviation incident, the airline will take certain decisions and measures to prevent similar aviation incidents.”
Meanwhile, the East Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office in Irkutsk, Russia, said that the aircraft “deviated from the runway during landing and landed on a sand spit of the Kolyma River.” According to the office, officials from the Yakutsk district of FATA, employees of the Yakutsk Transport Investigation Department, and management of Polar Airlines flew to the scene to investigate the incident.
“According to preliminary information, the cause of the aviation event is a crew error in piloting the aircraft.”
In May 2023, a local Telegram channel called Aviatorschina, citing sources from the government of Yakutia and the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, alleged that Polar Airlines had been operating aircraft with incomplete maintenance. According to them, the airline completed over 1,500 hours of flights.
The local authorities had begun investigating the matter since the airline provides crucial connectivity to remote cities and regions within Siberia. In a statement issued late May 2023, Polar Airlines said that Russian aviation authorities carried out an unscheduled inspection of the airline’s “certain” areas of activity. Following the assessment, Polar Airlines corrected its procedures and adopted a corrective action plan to prevent further operational deficiencies. “Personnel decisions have also been made and a number of employees have been subject to disciplinary action,” it added, highlighting that its operations had continued normally, with the airline continuing to provide services to its communities.
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