Qualla: 2024 Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash

2024 Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash: Introduction

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0. The column of black smoke was visible for miles across the flat terrain of Ivanovo Oblast. At 13:00 Moscow time on March 12, 2024, an Ilyushin Il-76 military cargo aircraft crashed near Bogorodskoye District, barely minutes after takeoff from Ivanovo-Severny airfield. All fifteen people on board -- eight crew members and seven passengers -- were killed. Unconfirmed video footage captured the final moments: an engine burning, the aircraft descending steeply, a detached engine pod falling separately from the fuselage.

Image: Anna Zvereva | CC BY-SA 2.0

2024 Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash: Flight Context

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0. Crash site located at approximately 57.04N, 41.02E, near Bogorodskoye District in Ivanovo Oblast, roughly 30 km northeast of Ivanovo city. Ivanovo-Severny airfield (UUBI) is the departure point. The terrain is flat agricultural and forested land typical of central Russia. Best viewed at 3,000-5,000 ft AGL. The area is approximately 250 km northeast of Moscow. Nearby civil airports include Ivanovo Yuzhny.

Image: Anna Zvereva | CC BY-SA 2.0

2024 Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash: Fire on Climb-Out

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0. During the initial climb after takeoff, one of the Il-76's four engines caught fire. What should have been a manageable emergency -- the Il-76 was designed to fly on three engines -- became fatal within minutes. Videos circulating on social media showed the aircraft in a steep de...

Image: Anna Zvereva | CC BY-SA 2.0

2024 Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash: The Investigation

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0. Russia's defense ministry dispatched a board of the Russian Aerospace Forces to Ivanovo Oblast to investigate the crash. The ministry's preliminary assessment pointed to an engine fire as the most probable cause, though the sequence of events -- why the fire led to a loss of cont...

Image: Anna Zvereva | CC BY-SA 2.0

2024 Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash: Ivanovo's Military Aviation Legacy

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Anna Zvereva, CC BY-SA 2.0. Ivanovo-Severny airfield has long been a hub for Russian military transport aviation, one of several bases that keep the country's enormous airlift network functioning. The oblast itself is a textile-manufacturing region roughly 250 kilometers northeast of Moscow, an industrial h...

Image: Anna Zvereva | CC BY-SA 2.0