On 6 March 2018 an Antonov An-26 transport aircraft crashed on approach to Khmeimim air base in Syria, killing all 39 people on board. All of them were servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces, including Major-General Vladimir Yeremeyev.
 A Russian Air Force Antonov An-26 similar to the one involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 March 2018 |
| Summary | Loss of control on final approach |
| Site | Near Khmeimim Air Base, Syria |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Antonov An-26 |
| Operator | Russian Air Force |
| Registration | RF-92955 |
| Flight origin | Kuweires air base, Syria |
| Destination | Khmeimim air base, Syria |
| Occupants | 39 |
| Passengers | 33 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 39 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Accident
At about 14:00 local time (12:00 UTC) the Russian Antonov An-26 went down about 500 metres (1,640 ft) from the runway. The preliminary cause was attributed to technical malfunction. Based on reports from the location, the Russian Ministry of Defense ruled out the possibility that it was shot down. The Investigative Committee of Russia and the Russian Military Prosecutor's Office opened criminal cases concerning the crash.
The Islamic militant group Jaysh al-Islam later claimed the responsibility for the crash; according to Ad-Diyar, five militants shot at the aircraft with heavy machine guns when it was 100 m from the ground. It was suggested that the claim might be false, as the group has made opportunistic claims in the past, as have some other groups.
Aircraft
The accident aircraft was an Antonov An-26, registration RF-92955, msn 10107. It had first flown in 1980. This accident is the fifteenth An-26 fatal crash in this decade with a total of 159 deaths, none of these flights were scheduled passenger airline operations.
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