True Aviation Flight 21

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True Aviation Flight 21 was a cargo flight from Cox’s Bazar to Jessore, Bangladesh. On 9 March 2016, an Antonov An-26B (registration S2-AGZ) leased to True Aviation, carrying 4,800 kg of shrimp fries, took off from Cox’s Bazar. Shortly after liftoff, the left engine failed, and the crew attempted to return to the airport.

Air traffic control advised a left-hand downwind approach, but the pilots stayed on a right-hand downwind at a very low altitude. While approaching for an emergency landing, the aircraft performed a go-around at a low height, approximately 400–500 ft. Communication with the aircraft was lost, and at 03:32 UTC the plane crashed about 3 km west of Cox’s Bazar into the Bay of Bengal. Three crew members were killed on the scene; one crew member survived with injuries and was hospitalized.

The aircraft was destroyed. It had been owned by Air Urga and was on lease to True Aviation; all four crew members were Ukrainian nationals.

The Bangladesh Air Accident Investigation Group (AAIG-BD), with assistance from Ukraine’s NBAAI, investigated the crash. The flight data recorder was recovered and readable; the cockpit voice recorder could not be read due to internal damage. The investigation determined that the engine failure was caused by a drop in oil pressure in the torque meter system. The surviving crew member reported difficulty controlling the aircraft during the emergency approaches prior to the crash. Weather at departure was suitable, the crew were skilled, and the aircraft was considered airworthy.