Russian Il-76 catches fire during takeoff in Tajikistan

21 October, 2023 Russian Il-76MD that burned in Tajikistan, October 2023. Photo from social media A Russian Il-76MD military transport aircraft has burned down in Tajikistan.

This is reported by the Russian propaganda media. The accident took place on the night of October 19-20 at the Gissar Air Base near Dushanbe. Due to the failure of one of the engines, the plane caught fire during takeoff.

As a result, the plane rolled off the runway and burned down. The preliminary cause of the fire of the Russian Il-76MD aircraft was the destruction of the pneumatic tire (tire explosion) while accelerating during takeoff, followed by the ingress of elements into one of the engines.

A Russian Il-76MD that burned down in Tajikistan, October 2023. Photo from social media

There were 8 people on board the military transport plane.

The aggressor country's media reported that the crew was not injured. The Russians published a photo of the remains of the aircraft. It is seen that after the fire, only the left wing and tail section of the IL-76MD remained, while the cargo cabin and cockpit had completely burned down.

Since two engines on the left wing are visibly intact, we can assume that the engine fire that led to the complete destruction of the Russian aircraft occurred on the right wing. This is not the first loss of Russian aircraft of this type in recent times.

Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft on fire, Pskov, August 30, 2023

For example, during a large-scale attack on the Russian joint-use airfield in Pskov by Ukrainian drones in late August, four Il-76 military transport aircraft were hit. The airfield is located 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

A published video features two planes engulfed in flames, indicating their complete destruction.

The security of the military facility failed to adequately counteract the drone attack.