On 25 December 2012, an Antonov An-72 military transport aircraft operated by the Kazakh Armed Forces crashed about 20 km (12 mi) from the city of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, where the aircraft was preparing to land.

[2] The accident occurred at about 19:00 local time (1300 UTC) as the aircraft was descending to land.

[4] According to local media, the aircraft had been flying at an altitude around 800 m (2,600 ft), when it suddenly crashed to the ground.

However, the head of the local emergency services department stated, "the plane was destroyed by fire.

"[5] Kazakhstan's National Security Committee issued a statement confirming that all 27 people on board had died in the crash,[5] and also said that an investigation into the incident has begun.