Court closes case against pilot killed in An-24 crash near Tynda

Tynda District Court has closed the criminal case against the captain of an An-24 who died in a crash in Russia’s Amur region. The defendant’s death was the legal basis for the decision, the regional courts’ press service said on October 9.

The captain had been charged under Part 3 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code with breaching air transport safety rules and negligently causing the deaths of two or more people. Closing the proceedings does not amount to a conviction.

According to the account released by the press service, the captain failed to identify the second pilot’s error in interpreting pressure, did not alert the crew to an incorrect altitude assessment and did not intervene to prevent a descent below the minimum safe altitude.

A close relative did not oppose ending the case. The court applied Paragraph 4 of Part 1 of Article 24 of the Criminal Procedure Code and found no obstacle to closing the proceedings.

The aircraft was flying from Blagoveshchensk to Tynda when it crashed on July 24, 2025. Its wreckage was found in woodland 15 kilometres from Tynda. All 48 people aboard died.