Photo taken on Sept. 26, 2020 shows the crash site of an An-26 military aircraft in Chuguev, Kharkiv region, Ukraine. (Photo by Sergey Starostenko/Xinhua)
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.
