An incident occurred at the Mineralnye Vody airport on the morning of March 27, 2025, involving an An-124-100 Ruslan transport aircraft, whose landing gear caught fire during landing. The aircraft, which had arrived from an African country, landed safely, but immediately after touching the runway, a fire broke out. According to preliminary data, there were 24 people on board, including the crew and accompanying personnel. Fortunately, there were no casualties, and the fire was quickly extinguished by local services.

The aircraft, known for its load-carrying capacity and reliability, was completing a flight whose exact origin has not yet been specified. A source for the Telegram channel Baza reported that the plane was flying from Africa, but neither the airline nor the specific country of departure have been officially named. After landing, the crew recorded an abnormal situation related to the chassis and immediately transmitted a signal to the ground. The airport's fire crews responded quickly: upon arrival, they extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading to the fuselage and cargo compartment. Currently, specialists are dousing the aircraft - a procedure aimed at preventing a second fire and cooling the structure.

Mineralnye Vody Airport, one of the key transport hubs of Stavropol Krai, continued to operate as usual. The airport management confirmed that the incident did not affect the flight schedule, and the runway remained accessible to other aircraft. Representatives of emergency services and aviation authorities are working at the scene of the incident, who are investigating the causes of the fire. A preliminary version of a technical malfunction related to wear or damage to the chassis during operation is being considered.

The An-124-100 Ruslan is one of the largest transport aircraft in the world, developed in the USSR and widely used to transport large-sized cargo. Its reliability has been proven for decades, but such incidents remind us of the need for strict control over the technical condition of the equipment. In recent years, such aircraft have often been used for missions in remote regions, including Africa, where they are used in the logistics of humanitarian and military cargo.

An investigation into the circumstances of the incident has already begun. According to Avia.pro, specialists from Rosaviatsia and the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) intend to study the flight recorders and inspect the aircraft. Experts do not rule out that the cause could have been a mistake in maintenance before takeoff or difficult operating conditions in the African region, where high temperatures and dust can affect the mechanisms. At the same time, in recent months, there have been more frequent cases of abnormal situations with Soviet-made aircraft, which may be due to sanctions pressure and restrictions on the supply of spare parts.