Russian plane mistakenly lands on frozen river

In an unexpected turn of events, a Russian Antonov-24 aircraft, a relic from the Soviet era carrying 30 passengers, mistakenly landed on a frozen river near an airport in the far east of Russia on Thursday. 

The incident was attributed to a pilot error, according to statements from prosecutors in the country’s transportation incidents department.

The Polar Airlines plane, which touched down on the Kolyma River near Zheleznogorsk in the Yakutia region, was reportedly guided off course due to a mistake made by the crew in piloting the aircraft, as preliminary information suggests.

Images released by prosecutors depict the aircraft safely situated on the frozen river, with photos from Izvestia showing passengers disembarking from the plane.

In response to the incident, Polar Airlines issued a brief statement, confirming that the Antonov-24 had “landed outside the runway at Zheleznogorsk Airport.”

The statement emphasized that there were no reported injuries.