A Lao air force Antonov An-74 TK-300 crashed while on final approach to Laos’s Xieng Khoang Airport on Saturday 17 May.

Media reports indicate that all 20 passengers and crew died in the crash. A statement by the official Lao News Agency confirmed that four high-ranking officials were among the casualties, including the nation’s deputy prime minister, who was also the country’s defence minister.

The crash occurred at 07:00 local time in a densely forested area. The aircraft had taken off from Laos’s capital, Vientiane.

The registration of the aircraft is believed to be RDPL-34020, bearing manufacturer serial number 36547098982, according to Flightglobal’s Ascend Online database. The aircraft’s build year was 2009.

The TK-300 variant o the AN-74 varies from other An-74s in that it's two Lotarev D-36 engines are mounted on pylons beneath the wings, compared with type's typical over-wing configuration. Antonov claims that the new configuration decreases fuel burn and improves range.

It can carry up to 10 tonnes of cargo or 52 passengers.

Source: FlightGlobal.com

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