The tail of a Russian Antonov An-24 charter plane breaks off while en route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 people on board.

Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023 was a charter flight between Stavropol in southern Russia and Trabzon in Turkey operated by the Russian airline Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia. On 18 March 1997 the Antonov An-24 operating the flight suffered a structural failure and crashed into a forest, killing all 50 passengers and crew on board.

The Antonov An-24 (Russian/Ukrainian: Антонов Ан-24) (NATO reporting name: Coke) is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport/passenger aircraft designed in 1957 in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau and manufactured by Kyiv, Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude Aviation Factories.