A cargo plane was seen in dramatic footage skidding off the runway after its landing gear collapsed during a horrific crash in sub-Arctic Russia.
The clip shows the Antonov An-12 veer off the tarmac track after its landing gear ‘buckled’ before it veered into the snow-covered ground.
It skidded along the tarmac with its left wing touching the ground after the enforced belly landing.
The out of control four-engine turboprop Antonov then careered into a snowfield in Novy Urengoy, as it spun around out of control.
The left wing wedged into the frozen ground, preventing the aircraft from flipping over but left it tipped to the side in the snow.
There were sparks on the runway as it landed – but fortunately the fuel on board did not ignite.
There were eight crew on board the Atran airline plane at the time of the crash.
Luckily, all of the passengers survived, and only one needed hospital treatment.
Footage captured the moment a cargo plane careered off a runway in Russia, into a snowfield
The An-12 plane skidded along the tarmac with its left wing touching the ground after the enforced belly landing
The left wing wedged into the frozen ground, preventing the aircraft from flipping over but left it tipped to the side in the snow
There was a crew of eight on board at the time of the crash. They all survived, but one was left needing hospital treatment
There were sparks on the runway as it landed – but fortunately the fuel on board did not ignite
The plane had flown in from Sabetta, a key Russian liquified natural gas port above the Arctic Circle.
The pilot had signalled to air traffic control before he touched down that his landing gear had not properly deployed, according to reports.
Prosecutors said later that the landing gear ‘collapsed’.
Due to the Antonov’s emergency landing, Novy Urengoy airport was temporarily closed, according to reports.
The incident came two days after an emergency with the same plane flying from Novy Urengoy to Sabetta, when a cockpit alarm was triggered indicating failure of one of the landing gear struts to lock into place.
The crew circled before landing safely.
The Ural Transport Prosecutor’s Office said: ‘On 26 March 2025 at 13:07, an An-12 aircraft operated by Atran performing a commercial flight on the Sabetta–Novy Urengoy route suffered a collapse of the left landing gear strut upon landing at Novy Urengoy airport, causing the aircraft to veer onto a side strip.’
The plane has been in service since October 1970.
Russia has been criticised for continuing to fly old planes amid concern over their maintenance.
