This is the moment a Russian military plane mysteriously broke apart in mid-air before crashing into a reservoir and killing seven on board.
Shocking new footage shows how the An-22 Antei transport aircraft – once the biggest in the world – disintegrated as it plunged from the sky.
The tail section from behind the wing broke off before the plane hit the water.
The Soviet-era aircraft came down six days ago in the Ivanovo region, northeast of Moscow.
Residents living in a dacha settlement near the reservoir – far from the war zone in Ukraine – filmed the horrific scene unfold.
Initially it was reported that the Antonov was on a test flight after repairs.
But Russia’s 308th Air Repair Plant strongly denied there were any repairs.
There was speculation that overloading may have caused the break up midair, which came without a fire, but there have been no details of any cargo on the An-22, nor of its mission.
Pro-war channels expressed incredulity that the “ancient” aircraft was allowed to fly.
The 22 Antei model came into service in 1969 when it was the world’s largest.
It was the oldest aircraft of its kind still in service with Vladimir Putin’s armed forces.
Aviation expert Alexey Zakharov said: “The main question (is) why did the Military Transport Aviation command stubbornly cling to an aircraft so problematic in terms of maintaining airworthiness?
“The reason is simple – the An-22 still possesses a unique combination of characteristics: load, performance, and range.
“I won’t go into details, but there are tasks that only the Antei can perform – neither the Il-76 nor the An-124 can handle them.
“So, may the crew of the crashed An-22 be remembered, but the Antei will certainly continue to operate.”
No details have been given of the flight when the plane crashed.
Reports said there were five crew members and two passengers in the plane at the time of the crash.
Divers are still scouring the freezing Uvodskoye reservoir for the sixth day in the wake of the disaster.
The depth is believed to be 23ft (7m).
At the time of the crash, Mash news outlet reported: “The crew did their best to steer the aircraft away from populated areas until the last moment.”
It is unclear what control the crew had over the aircraft.
Russia – which has lost dozens of planes in the war and faced sanctions hitting the maintenance of its fleet – relies on older planes in both the military and civilian sectors.
A Russian Defence Ministry commission was sent to the scene to investigate the loss.
With a NATO reporting name ‘Cock’, the An-22 has a 187ft (57m) length and 210ft (64m) wingspan, with four turboprops, each driving contra-rotating propellers.
It is capable of carrying payloads of up to 80 tonnes.
The aircraft was supposed to have been phased out by last year but remained in use by Putin’s war machine.
This article was originally published on The Sun and is reproduced here with permission
