On July 6, 2021, an An-26B-100, registration RA-26085, operated by Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise, was performing a scheduled passenger flight from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (UHPР) to Palana (UHPL). The flight, designated DE 251, departed Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky at 00:56 local time after a delay from its scheduled 23:00 departure on July 5. The crew, which included a captain, first officer, navigator, flight engineer, flight operator, and flight attendant, initially followed a departure procedure via three beacons before switching to VOR navigation.
Following the disappearance of the aircraft, an extensive search and rescue operation was initiated involving several Mi-8 helicopters and other fixed-wing aircraft. Search efforts included aircraft departing from Ossora, Kozyrevsk, Tilichki, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky airfields. The operation also involved an Il-38 aircraft performing radio searches in the area of the Palana airfield.
During the search, a Mi-8 helicopter (registration RA-22617) discovered a fragment of the aircraft's tail section at 09:10. The wreckage was located in a mountainous area that was difficult to access, making it impossible to land rescuers via specialized unmanned aerial vehicles or deploy parachutes at the site.
The accident resulted in 28 fatalities. The search and rescue mission concluded after multiple aircraft returned to their respective bases without locating the main wreckage or survivors.