A CO-PILOT of the doomed passenger jet which smashed into a mountainside was due to appear in court today over a drugs test dispute.

Kirill Plaksin, aged 37, was involved in an administrative case for supposedly declining to take a drug test—a hearing was set for just a few hours following the crash that resulted in the deaths of all 48 individuals on board.

A Telegram channel linked to law enforcement said: “A court hearing on the administrative case was scheduled to take place this evening in Irkutsk.”

This case, originating in May, was connected to his alleged “refusal to undergo a medical examination for the use of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances”.

Despite the looming court appearance, Plaksin’s flight schedule would have allowed him to attend, according to local reports.

If found guilty, he faced up to 15 days in jail or a fine.

His lawyer insisted the case was filed in error and said his client had not used any substances – but declined to share further details.

The pilot, who perished along with captain Vyacheslav Logvinov, 61, was working for Angara Airlines, who have declined to comment. 

The An-24 plane crashed into a remote mountainside killing all 48 on board on Thursday.

In operation for almost 50 years, the ageing aircraft had disappeared without a trace as it battled low clouds and driving rain.

The Angara Airlines plane was on its second approach to land at Tynda airport in Russia’s far-east Amur region when it slammed into a mountain slope.

The blazing debris was found nine miles from the airport on Thursday afternoon when a rescue helicopter identified the crash location within a dense forest in mountainous territory.

All 48 passengers and crew on board the passenger plane died, the head of country’s Amur region said.

It is believed one woman refused to board the aircraft at the last minute. 

Footage captured the doomed aircraft moments before impact – flying low through light rain – appearing to operate normally right up until disaster struck.

And video from rescuers showed the burning wreckage strewn through dense woodland – with debris burning and smoke curling into the trees.

A 25-strong rescue team trekked for over an hour through harsh terrain to reach the wreckage on foot.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was briefed on the crash, his spokesman confirmed, as more details emerged about those on board the doomed flight.

The captain of the An-24 was identified as Vyacheslav Logvinov, 61, from Irkutsk.

Also among the victims was Dr Leonid Maizel, 71, a well-known thoracic surgeon from Khabarovsk Regional Clinical Hospital No. 1.

Other victims included Daria Izvarina, 33, from Blagoveshchensk, and Natalia Shiyan, 33.

She was travelling with her husband, Sergei Shiyan, 32. Another passenger was Yuri Sladkov, 27, from Khabarovsk.

Also among the victims was flight attendant Anastasia Bessmertnaya, 43, a mother of two who was married to an aircraft mechanic.

She was working aboard the ill-fated aircraft, tail number RA-47315.

Irina Alexandrikova, 25, from Tynda, was also among those on board.

Tragedy also struck a local family of doctors.

Dr Galina Naidyonova, an experienced obstetrician-gynaecologist with four decades in medicine, was travelling with her husband, Dr Alexey Naidyonov, a specialist in functional diagnostics.

Their 14-year-old grandson was flying with them.

Another passenger, Elena Velikanova, a village primary school teacher from the Amur region, was also listed among the victims.

But for Marina Avalyan from Tynda, a last-minute decision likely saved her life.

She had planned to take the same flight — but stayed behind when her granddaughter fell ill.

“My granddaughter saved me,” she said.

Despite never boarding the aircraft, she remained listed on the passenger manifest.

Officials earlier said: “On July 24 at 15:26 [local time], the missing An-24 passenger plane was discovered 16 km [9 miles] from Tynda towards Kuvykta on a mountain slope.

“According to the director of the Tynda airport, the plane caught fire when it crashed. 

“No survivors were found when the Mi-8 flew around from the air.

“Rescuers are heading to the scene. 

“At the moment, 25 people, five units of equipment have been dispatched, and four aircraft with crews are on standby.”

The doomed flight had earlier taken off from Blagoveshchensk after a two-hour delay.

It was the plane’s final leg before landing in Tynda – a key rail hub in the region – when it disappeared without warning.

Emergency services earlier told Interfax: “The An-24 plane was flying the Khabarovsk-Blagoveshchensk-Tynda route.

“Near the final point, it failed to check in. There is no contact with it.”

A criminal case has now been opened by Russia’s Investigative Committee for Transport to determine the cause of the crash.

Early reports pointed to pilot error in poor visibility as the likely cause.

One pro-Kremlin outlet said: “The preliminary cause of the crash is pilot error in poor visibility due to bad weather.

“It is not yet known who was landing: Logvinov or the co-pilot Kirill Plaksin.”

Meanwhile, regional governor Vasily Orlov announced that the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the Amur Region has opened a hotline for relatives after the missing plane was discovered.

He also declared a three-day mourning period in the region.

The governor said: “It is with sorrow that I report….according to preliminary data, there are no survivors. 

“Rescuers have reached the crash site. I declare a three-day mourning period in the region…

“This terrible tragedy took the lives of 48 people.”

The Antonov An-24 is a twin turboprop designed in Kyiv in the 1950s during the Soviet era.

But it is still in use across Russia despite its age and a series of past accidents.

The An-24 that crashed was 49 years old, built at the Kyiv Aviation Plant in 1976, and had seen no significant modernisation.

Originally with Soviet state airline Aeroflot, the aircraft passed through the fleets of multiple Russian airlines and even a Cambodian carrier.

The same plane almost lost a wing in an accident in April 2018 when it hit a lightning mast at Bodaibo Airport in Irkutsk region.

After repairs, its airworthiness certificate was extended.

Russia has long faced criticism over poor aviation safety standards, especially in remote regions with ageing aircraft and limited infrastructure.

The country is currently unable to pension off old aircraft due to Western sanctions over Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.

As anger grows over the use of aging planes, a leading aviation expert issued a stark warning.

Vadim Bazykin, a highly respected test pilot, said: “I think it would be better to ban flights on such old equipment if we are unable to bring it up to standard.

“We are simply putting passengers at risk all the time.”

Bazykin said the aircraft had been flying over harsh terrain and heading toward a difficult landing strip.

“The crashed An-24 was flying in difficult terrain, and the airfield in Tynda is considered mountainous while the surrounding terrain is inhospitable taiga,” he told Izvestia.

“There are small clearings that only a helicopter or, at most, an An-2 aircraft can land on, but certainly not an An-24.

“In other words, it must be understood that landing outside the aerodrome is always a disaster.”