Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that an immediate and impartial investigation would be carried out’ into the deaths of 26 people in the crash.
A military transport plane carrying Air
Force cadets crashed near a highway in northeastern Ukraine on Friday evening
and burst into flames.
Ukraine's state emergency service said the
plane was carrying 27 people - seven crewmembers and 20 students. Only one
cadet survived.
"Yesterday, as a result of a terrible
tragedy ... Ukraine lost 26 of its worthy sons," Zelenskiy said on
Facebook. "I urge that the cause of the crash be immediately clarified and
that the investigation be objective and impartial."
He declared Saturday a day of mourning.
The Antonov N26 crashed while attempting
to land during a training exercise, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said, adding
that black boxes with flight data had been’ found.
Ukrainian officials say they are
investigating four possible causes of the crash. This is a technical glitch in
the aircraft; Improper performance by staff Improper performance by flight
control; And inadequate rehabilitation.
Ukraine's law enforcement agency, the
State Security Service, says the plane's crew commander crashed five minutes
after the twin-engine plane's left engine failed to land.
The State Security Service said in a
statement on Saturday that "according to preliminary information, the
cadets did not have direct control over the aircraft - all flights were carried
out by the crew commander."
The crash happened 2 kilometers (1.2
miles) from the military airport.
The cadets belonged to the Air Force's
Kharkiv University, which is run’ by the Ministry of Defense.
The government has said that training
flights of similar aircraft have been’ suspended.
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