Satellite image of Russian Il-76 military plane crash site released

A Planet Labs satellite image showing the crash site of the Russian Il-76 military transport plane has been published by Schemes, a project from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Ukrainian Service.

The image, taken on January 31, shows what Schemes describes as an approximately 500-meter-long trail left by the plane during the crash.

From Meduza’s newsroom:

Judging by the debris scatter pattern, the plane was falling from west to east – that is, away from Belgorod Airport, rather than toward it. However, this does not necessarily mean that it was flying in that direction before being hit by the missile.

As the plane was falling, it could have changed course (due to damage to flight control systems, aerodynamic surfaces, engines, etc.). One witness’s report suggests the burning plane initially fell from north to south – strictly along the route and in the direction indicated on landing approach charts.