On April 29, a passenger An-24RV made an emergency return to Khabarovsk airport after a fire alarm for the auxiliary power unit was triggered during climb. The aircraft, belonging to "Khabarovsk Airlines", was operating a flight from Khabarovsk to Okhotsk.
According to the crew, immediately after takeoff and landing gear retraction, the "Fire RU-19" emergency alarm was triggered in the cockpit. Sensors detected signs of fire in the RU-19A-300 auxiliary power unit, located in the tail section of the fuselage.
The automatic fire extinguishing system operated normally, and the first stage of fire extinguishing agent was supplied to the compartment. The crew shut down the unit, reported the abnormal situation to air traffic controllers, and decided to immediately return to the departure airfield. The landing was performed approximately 16 minutes after takeoff. There were 31 passengers and six crew members on board, no one was injured.
After landing, technical specialists recorded traces of thermal exposure in the fairing area and signs of burning, which confirmed the activation of the auxiliary power unit's fire alarm system.
It is separately noted that on April 26, the same aircraft operated the Okhotsk — Khabarovsk flight, during which the crew encountered a failure of the nose landing gear extension indication. Visual inspection confirmed the gear's position, and the landing proceeded normally; the indication of the correct position appeared only after touchdown.
Both aviation incidents are under consideration by the Far Eastern Interregional Territorial Department of Rosaviatsia.
