Watch: Soviet-Era Passenger Plane Suffers Catastrophic Damage Mid-Flight - Hats and Luggage Sucked Out
Passengers riding in a Soviet-era Russian plane got far more than they bargained for when their plane’s rear door sprang open.
The interior of the plane, an An-26 flown by IrAero, was filmed by one of the 25 passengers who were exposed to the winter air on the flight from Magan, in eastern Siberia to Magadan, on Russia’s Pacific coast, according to the Daily Mail.
Hats and luggage were lost in the aftermath of the mid-flight disaster, some of which is shown in the video below.
“The caps off some people’s heads flew into the white void,” one report said according to the Daily Mail.
Air travel mishaps have carved a significant portion of the news cycle since the holiday season due to Southwest Airlines and other major airlines attempting to cope with seasonal extreme weather.
According to the Daily Mail, this disaster happened in the world’s coldest region, and the helpless victims were exposed to approximately negative 42 degrees Fahrenheit.
The plane reportedly made a rapid descent and emergency landing at Magan, and fortunately, all the passengers onboard survived.
An investigation has been reportedly launched concerning the incident.
It could have been much worse.
“A man sitting at the rear of the plane was nearly blown away,” a passenger told East2West according to the New York Post. “He had just unfastened his seat belt.”
The man behind the camera, Sergei Lidrik, said, “The flight ended quicker than expected — with the wrong result … People were shocked at first. … People had their hats blown off.”
Simple Flying noted that four accidents and five incidents have occurred with the An-26 since 2020 — it’s an extremely old aircraft, with possible active planes ranging between 37 and 52 years of age.
It was reportedly banned from South Sudan for a time, thanks to multiple accidents that resulted in the deaths of approximately 22 people.
The less-than-modern An-26 is not, by trade, primarily a transport for civilians.
“Primarily a military transport and cargo aircraft, the turboprop has seen some service in commercial passenger operations in ex-Soviet and developing countries owing to its lowered operating costs,” Simple Flying explained.
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