Crew members of a Ukrainian Antonov An-74 freighter have sustained injuries after the twinjet crashed while departing Sao Tome.
The aircraft (UR-CKC) was part of the fleet of Ukrainian carrier Cavok Air, located in Kiev.
Few details about the circumstances have emerged but deputy Ukrainian infrastructure minister Yuri Lavrenyuk says the accident occurred during take-off.
"Initial information [indicates] a bird-strike in the right-hand engine," he says. "All the crew members are alive but injured."
Lavrenyuk has posted images to social media showing the aircraft, an An-74TK-100 variant, on rough sloping ground, its nose section severely damaged, with its left wing in contact with terrain and fractured.
The right-hand engine appears to have its thrust-reverser system deployed.
No details have been released on the aircraft's destination or the type of freight on board, nor has the number of crew members been clarified.
Meteorological data for Sao Tome airport on 29 July does not indicate any adverse weather conditions.
Flight Fleets Analyzer lists the aircraft as a 25-year old airframe owned by a United Arab Emirates entity, and formerly operated by RAF-Avia. The twinjets is powered by Progress D-36 engines.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
