A small utility aircraft crashed in a remote part of Siberia on Friday, resulting in the deaths of both pilots on board, according to Russian authorities.

The incident involved an Antonov An-2 biplane, operated by the regional carrier Borus Airlines. It went down around 5:00 p.m. local time in the Krasnoyarsk region. The regional transportation prosecutor's office described the event as a "hard landing."

In a statement, Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK), which investigates civil aviation accidents across former Soviet states, confirmed the fatalities, saying, "Two pilots on board were killed and the aircraft was destroyed."

The crash has been classified as an aviation "catastrophe" by Russia's civil aviation regulator, Rosaviatsia. The West Siberian Transport Prosecutor’s Office has opened an inquiry to examine potential violations of air safety rules.

Preliminary reports indicate the aircraft had just finished performing aerial work before it crashed approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the village of Tanzybei. Borus Airlines, the operator, is based in the nearby town of Shushenskoye.

The cause of the crash is currently unknown and under investigation by the MAK, with local officials providing assistance.

The Antonov An-2 is a robust, Soviet-era single-engine biplane commonly used for transporting cargo and passengers across Russia's vast and remote territories. The specific aircraft involved, with the registration RA-70350, was not visible on public flight tracking platforms, which is typical for older aircraft that often lack modern transponders and operate outside areas with radar coverage. (ILKHA)