Fragments of the Emergencies Ministry’s Il-76 fire-fighting plane that crashed in the Irkutsk region on July 1, have been discovered, a source in Russia’s aviation structures told TASS.
"According to preliminary data, presumably fragments of Il-76 that went missing in a hard-to-reach area in the region have been discovered," the source said.
The Il-76 plane did not go on the air for a radio contact at 06:30 am, Moscow time on July 1. The plane was equipped with an airborne spray tank for fighting wildfires in the Bayandayevsky district of the Irkutsk region. Only the crew comprising 10 people was on board. The plane disappeared in a remote area. The Emergencies Ministry sent about 500 rescuers for the search.
Investigative bodies have organized a pre-investigation check over the failure to get in touch by the Il-76 plane. Two preliminary versions are considered: aircraft technical fault and pilot error. The Emergencies Ministry said the missing plane was in good repair, had passed all the required pre-flight procedures and was technically faultless.
Source: Tass.com
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