26 people killed in a military plane crash

Antonov-26, a military aircraft came down near the eastern city of Kharkiv, killing 20 cadets and six officers from Kharkiv Air Force University while on a training flight. Only one person survived.

The crash is being investigated and according to officials  captain and not cadets was flying the plane  when it crashed.

The plane came down about 2 km (1.2 miles) from a military airport in the town of Chuhuiv, the emergency ministry said.

An eyewitness said he had seen a man in flames running from the wreckage.

Crash  investigators are reportedly considering four possible causes – technical malfunction of the aircraft, improper performance by either the flight crew or ground control and poor maintenance.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement that the crash happened five minutes after the flight commander requested to land because the left engine had failed.

There is no suggestion that the crash is linked to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Chuhuiv is about 100km (60miles) from the front line where government forces are fighting pro-Russian separatists.