Antonov AN-26 Rear Door Opens Midflight

A preliminary investigation has found that the incident was likely caused by a failure of the cargo ramp's locking mechanism.


Photo by @AviationSafety

Passengers onboard an IrAero flight between Magan (GYG) and Magadan (GDX) were in for the fright of their lives when the Antonov An-26’s luggage compartment burst open.

Incident details

On January 9, the An-26, registered as RA-26174, was climbing out of Magan at around 9000ft when the back door suddenly failed, depressurizing the 43-year-old turboprop and blowing out passengers’ luggage.

Several passengers captured the horrifying moment on video, with the short clips showing the curtain used to cover luggage during the flight blowing in the wind. Passengers were luckily still dressed for the -40C Siberian weather, with many seen wrapped up in large coats.

“The flight ended quicker than expected with the wrong result,” passenger Sergei Lidrik told East2West News via the New York Post. “People were shocked at first. People had their hats blown off.”

The flight crew quickly turned the aircraft around for an emergency landing, safely touching down at the airport shortly after. No injuries were reported among the 25 passengers and six crew members. An image of the aircraft back on Magan’s frozen runway was shared by several news outlets showing the aircraft’s damaged back door hanging slightly ajar.

As reported by Air Live and local media, a preliminary investigation concluded the incident was likely caused by a failure of the cargo ramp’s lock, which was fitted with unapproved parts. The Transport Investigation Department is currently investigating the cause.

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Safety issues

The An-26 has seen several high-profile incidents over the past several years, likely partly due to its older age. The youngest of the type is around 37 years old, while the oldest is 52. 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.

Since 2020, four accidents and five incidents have been reported, with the most recent in February 2022. An Angara Air An-26 operating between Irkutsk (IKT) and Yerbogachen (ERG) was forced to divert to nearby Ust-Kut (UKX) after the left engine started leaking oil.

The type was temporarily banned from operating in South Sudan following several consecutive accidents, accounting for around 22 deaths between 2020 and 2021. In November 2021, an Optimum Aviation An-26 crashed shortly after take-off from Juba (JBA), resulting in the deaths of all five crew onboard. The aircraft came down less than a mile from the runway, across the White Nile river, causing a large fire in the area.

The aircraft is currently back in operation in the country. However, an additional accident was reported shortly after the ban was lifted, in which a South Sudanese Air Force cargo flight between Juba and Abyei Region lost a section of its left wing during an attempted landing at Agok’s unpaved airstrip. None of the four crew onboard were injured.