An-2 Accident in Nenets Autonomous Okrug: Officials Confirmed Hard Landing and Fatalities
An An-2 light aircraft crashed in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, with initial updates reported by TASS on the evening of January 9, citing emergency services. Preliminary information indicated two fatalities as a result of the incident.
According to an emergency services source cited by TASS, the crash was attributed to icing, taking place about 10 kilometers from the village of Karatayka. The aircraft carried 12 people in total — 10 passengers and two crew members. After the impact, one of the passengers managed to contact emergency responders.
Karatayka sits 175 kilometers northwest of Vorkuta and roughly 24 kilometers south of the Pechora Sea coast. Meteorological services reported frigid conditions in the area, with daytime temperatures near minus 15 degrees Celsius and ongoing snowfall.
Subsequently, the press service of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed the An-2 crash. The survivor who alerted rescuers reportedly said two people died. The Ministry noted that the flight path was Naryan-Mar – Karatayka – Varandey – Naryan-Mar. Rescue teams, including helicopter crews and a ground squad on snowmobiles, were dispatched to the scene. RIA Novosti later reported that two Mi-8 helicopters were deployed to the site of the downed aircraft [source attribution: emergency services, TASS, and RIA Novosti].
Yuri Bezdudny, the governor of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, said that ground services continued to search for the plane. Two Mi-8 helicopters were ready to take off but awaited favorable weather conditions before proceeding to the crash site [official statements].
The North-Western Transport Prosecutor’s Office described the incident as a hard landing rather than a crash. An initial investigation check was initiated into the situation. Later, the Investigative Committee announced that a criminal case had been opened under Part 3 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, alleging violation of traffic safety and operation rules in air transport resulting in the death of two or more persons due to negligence [official statements].
RIA Novosti, citing the Ministry of Emergencies, identified one of the fatalities as the aircraft’s pilot. Four additional people sustained injuries in the hard landing. The casualty details were confirmed by various agencies as the situation evolved [sources: RIA Novosti, Ministry of Emergency Situations].
Valery Ostapchuk, managing director of the Naryan-Mar United Air Association, commented to TASS that the flight occurred under harsh weather conditions. He noted that the aircraft carried two crew members and ten passengers, and that the emergency radio signal had been received. He described polar night conditions and fog, and said ground crews were dispatched to provide assistance as soon as visibility allowed [TASS interview].
Local reporting from 360 TV channels suggested fog as a possible factor in the disaster. A Karatayka resident told reporters that visibility near the crash site was poor due to fog, and that many villagers traveled to the scene to assist survivors.
Around 18:20 Moscow time, the Ministry of Emergency Situations announced the completion of survivor evacuations from the crash site. The Telegram channel 112 published passenger lists; according to those lists, a male pilot born in 1964 and a passenger born in 1968 perished in the incident. The channel also indicated that at least two minors, boys born in 2008 and 2011, were aboard the aircraft [112 channel records].