AN-12 freighter crash kills five in fueling mishap

At least five people were killed early on Friday when an AN-12 freighter operated by Ukraine Air Alliance ran out of fuel and crashed in Ukraine after an unsuccessful attempt at an emergency landing. The plane was en route from Spain’s Vigo Airport (VGO) to Istanbul (IST) and was expected to make a transit stop at Lviv Airport (LWO), according to a statement from Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure.

There were reportedly seven crew members and one passenger escorting the cargo, according to Lviv city council member Igor Zinkevych. At the scene, five people were reported dead and at least one other person was reported injured.

It is unclear what cargo the aircraft was carrying, but the Ukraine-registered AN-12 freighter (8345604) was one of seven AN-12 freighters operated by Ukraine Air Alliance. According to the carrier’s website, it regularly carries out urgent, military and dual-use cargo operations for the United Nations and NATO.