Russian investigators have concluded that damage to an Antonov An-26, operating a domestic service in the eastern region, resulted from a collision with a drone.

The event took place on 2 August, states regional carrier Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise, which identifies the airframe involved as RA-26122.

It says the aircraft was operating a scheduled flight from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the coastal airport of Tilichiki in the north of the Kamchatka peninsula.

After the aircraft landed, says the carrier, airport personnel “discovered damage to the airframe”.

The crew “did not notice any impacts or operational abnormalities” during the flight, it adds, and initial suspicion focused on a bird strike.

But the carrier says an investigation by the regional Kamchatka division of federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia has concluded that an “in-flight collision with an unidentified object” caused the damage.

It adds that this object was “most likely an unmanned aerial vehicle”.

Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise says: “It is impossible to determine who was piloting the drone, as its launch site is unknown.”

But it adds that, given the aircraft’s cruising altitude of 6,000m (19,700ft), the collision probably occurred during the take-off or landing phase.

“Drone flights are prohibited in airport areas,” it points out.

Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise says the damage has since been repaired and the aircraft has returned to normal operation.