On 13 February 2013, a Ukrainian Antonov An-24 passenger aircraft operating South Airlines flight 8971 crashed on landing at Donetsk International Airport, Ukraine, killing 5 of the 52 people on board.

[11] Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Officer Volodymyr Vyshynsky is in charge of the inquiry which was opened the day after the crash.

[7] On 14 February 2013 investigators considered pilot error, faulty ground support equipment and poor weather conditions as possible causes.

[10] Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Vilkol stated that the cause for the crash was a loss of speed by the aircraft during landing approach due to an error of the unprepared crew, which had no clearance to make the flight in those weather conditions.

The aircraft slowed to below the minimum control speed, rolled to 48 degrees of bank and impacted ground right wing first.