| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| Summary: | Loss of control on final approach |
| Site: | Near Khmeimim Air Base, Syria |
| Occupants: | 39 |
| Passengers: | 33 |
| Crew: | 6 |
| Fatalities: | 39 |
| Survivors: | 0 |
| Aircraft Type: | Antonov An-26 |
| Operator: | Russian Air Force |
| Tail Number: | RF-92955 |
| Origin: | Kuweires air base, Syria |
| Destination: | Khmeimim air base, Syria |
On 6 March 2018 an Antonov An-26 transport aircraft crashed on approach to Khmeimim air base in Syria, killing all 39 people on board. All of them were servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces,[1] including Major-General Vladimir Yeremeyev.[2]
At about 14:00 local time (12:00 UTC) the Russian Antonov An-26 went down about 500m (1,600feet) from the runway.[3] The preliminary cause was attributed to technical malfunction.[3] Based on reports from the location, the Russian Ministry of Defense ruled out the possibility that it was shot down.[4] The Investigative Committee of Russia and the Russian Military Prosecutor's Office opened criminal cases concerning the crash.
The Islamic militant group Jaysh al-Islam later claimed the responsibility for the crash; according to Ad-Diyar, five militants shot at the aircraft with heavy machine guns when it was 100 m from the ground. It was suggested that the claim might be false, as the group has made opportunistic claims in the past, as have some other groups.[5]
The accident aircraft was an Antonov An-26, registration RF-92955, msn 10107. It had first flown in 1980.[6] This accident is the fifteenth An-26 fatal crash in this decade with a total of 159 deaths, none of these flights were scheduled passenger airline operations.[7]