A Giant Plane Crashes: Russia’s Last An-22 Falls From the Sky

A Huge Old Plane Breaks Apart While Flying – What Happened?

Recently, a very big and very old Russian military plane, an Antonov An-22, broke into pieces while it was in the air. This was not just any old plane. News reports say it was the very last one of its kind still flying in Russia.

The plane was on a normal flight after it had just been checked and fixed by mechanics. The crash makes people ask hard questions about flying very old planes, how they are taken care of, and when it is time to let them go.

The Crash: A Simple Timeline

Let’s break down what we know about the crash in simple points.

• The Plane: An Antonov An-22, named “Antey”. It was over 50 years old.
• The Mission: It was doing a planned flight from its home base, Ivanovo-Severny military airfield.
• The Problem: While flying, the plane’s body (the airframe) broke apart.
• The Big Question: It had just come from routine maintenance. Did something go wrong during the check-up? Or was the plane just too old?

An investigation is happening now to find the exact reason and to learn about the crew.

What Was The An-22 “Antey”? A Friendly Giant

To see why this crash is such a big deal, you need to know about this special plane.

A Plane Born in the 1960s
The An-22 was designed in Kyiv (now the capital of Ukraine) when the Soviet Union was competing with America. It first flew in 1965. When it started working for the military in 1969, it was the biggest turboprop plane in the world. It was a symbol of power and engineering skill.

Its Mind-Blowing Size and Power

• Engines: It had four huge turboprop engines. Each one was as powerful as about 200 family cars!
• Propellers: Each engine had two big propellers that spun in opposite directions.
• What It Could Carry: It could lift 80 tons. That’s about 15 large elephants, or tanks and trucks for the army.
• Weight: When full of fuel and cargo, it weighed about 250 tons – as heavy as about 40 large elephants.

Why It Was So Important
This plane was a trailblazer. It proved that you could build a plane to carry incredibly heavy things very far. The lessons learned from the An-22 led to even bigger planes like the famous An-124 “Ruslan” and the giant An-225 “Mriya” (which was sadly destroyed in 2022).

Why Did Such a Strong Plane Break Apart?

A plane doesn’t just fall apart. For something this tragic to happen, a few things probably went wrong together.

Reason 1: It Was Just Too Old
The simplest reason is age. This plane had been flying for over 50 years. Imagine bending a paperclip back and forth again and again. Eventually, it gets weak and snaps. Metal on a plane does the same thing over thousands of flights, called “metal fatigue.” After five decades, weaknesses can hide in the frame, even with good care.

Reason 2: The Recent Check-Up
The crash happened right after “routine maintenance.” This is a major red flag for investigators. They will check:

• Was the maintenance done perfectly?
• Was a part put back wrong or a bolt not tightened enough?
• Did the mechanics miss a small crack or a rusty spot?
• Finding real, factory-made parts for a 1960s plane is very hard. Were any replacement parts not good enough?

Reason 3: A Lifetime of Hard Work
This plane was built for tough jobs. For decades, it carried tanks, landed on rough dirt runways, and flew in all weather. That kind of life puts a lot of stress on a plane’s body. All that wear and tear adds up over time.

What Happens Now? The Future After the Crash

This crash is the end of a story and a warning for the future.

The End of an Era
With this crash, Russia has likely lost its last flying An-22. The era of this specific giant roaring through the skies is over. The remaining An-22s in the world are in museums or sitting quietly in fields.

How Russia Will Move Heavy Things Now
The Russian military still has other big transport planes, mainly the Ilyushin Il-76. This is a modern jet-powered cargo plane. They are building newer versions of it (called the Il-76MD-90A). While the An-22 was special, its main job of moving heavy equipment has already been taken over by these newer planes for many years.

The Big Lesson for All Old Planes
This crash teaches a sad but important lesson to everyone who flies old planes, whether they are military or passenger planes:

1. Checking is Everything: For very old planes, you need super-detailed checks using special tools to see hidden cracks.
2. Know When to Stop: Every plane has a limit. After a certain number of flights and years, the risk becomes too high.
3. Make New Planes: Countries and airlines must keep making new planes so they don’t have to fly old ones forever.

Final Thoughts: A Salute and a Warning

The Antonov An-22 was a beautiful monster of a machine, a wonder of its time. Its final flight is a sad reminder that nothing lasts forever, not even the strongest metal.

We should remember the amazing things it did. But we must also listen to the warning its crash gives us: safety in the sky depends on constant care, knowing limits, and having the courage to retire old heroes before it’s too late.

The friendly giant has left the sky for the last time. May it rest in peace, and may its story make flying safer for everyone.