Article Posted on : - Dec 29, 2010

A file photo.

MOSCOW (BNS): A Russian Antonov military transport aircraft crashed overnight on Tuesday in the Tula region south of Moscow, killing 11 people on board, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Itar-Tass cited a source from the Russian Defense Ministry's information department as saying the An-22 aircraft had been flying from Voronezh to Tver when it disappeared from radar screens around 9:30 pm Moscow time (1830 GMT) on Tuesday.

The news agency quoted a Russian law enforcement official as confirming all 11 crew members were dead.

Experts believe the crash could have been caused by mechanical failure, pilot error or a bird or birds getting into one of the plane’s engines.

The An-22 is a heavy transport aircraft and can airlift up to 290 soldiers or 150 paratroopers or four units of heavy equipment.