The Antonov An-12 is a transport aircraft designed and manufactured by the Ukrainian manufacturing and services company Antonov. Given the long operational history of the An-12, more than 190 An-12s (including Shaanxi Y-8s) have crashed involving many casualties. The An-12 has also been involved in a number of aviation incidents.

Crashes during testing On 26 June 1958, a prototype incurred heavy damage as the demonstration flight ground looped at the time of landing in Khodynka Aerodrome, Russia. The status of the aircraft is unknown.

Crashes in service

1950s On 31 January 1959, a Soviet Air Force An-12 crashed on take-off at Vitebsk Airport, when a trimmer changed position unintentionally and a prop feathered simultaneously. Of the seven crew on board, only the tail gunner survived. This was the first fatal incident involving the Antonov An-12. On 28 November 1959, a Soviet Air Force An-12 crashed near Irkutsk following a loss of control at , killing all 10 on board. The brand-new aircraft was being ferried from the factory at Irkutsk to the Soviet Air Force base at Vitebsk.

1960s On 23 December 1962, a Soviet Air Force An-12 struck a mountainside near Nezhdannyj Airfield (near Norilsk), killing seven of eight crew. The aircraft, operating a Kiev–Norilsk–Tixi flight, had been cleared to descend too low. On 16 July 1963, Indian Air Force An-12A BL734 crashed on landing at Palam Airport, killing two people. On 7 December 1963, Aeroflot Flight 1063, an An-12B (CCCP-11347), crashed on climbout from Kirensk Airport after a loss of control following double engine failure, killing the six crew. The aircraft was operating a Kirensk-Irkutsk cargo service. On 16 October 1964, Indonesian Air Force An-12BP T-1202 crashed near Palembang, killing three of 16 on board. The aircraft was carrying members of a dancing troupe and television performers en route to entertain troops. On 7 July 1965, a Soviet Air Force An-12 crashed shortly after takeoff from Almaza Air Base, Egypt, killing 30 of 31 on board. After takeoff, the crew raised the flaps, causing the aircraft to sink back on the runway, after which it struck a concrete pillar and crashed into a ravine and burned out. On 11 September 1965, an Aeroflot An-12 (CCCP-11137) struck a wooded mountainside northwest of Ulan-Ude due to an improperly set altimeter, killing all eight crew. On 14 January 1967, Aeroflot Flight 5003, an An-12B (CCCP-04343), crashed on climbout from Tolmachevo Airport following an in-flight fire, killing the six crew. The aircraft was operating a Novosibirsk-Krasnoyarsk cargo service. On 9 February 1967, a Cubana An-12A (CU-T827) crashed near Mexico City due to pilot error, killing all 10 on board. The pilot executed an improper IFR approach and discontinued IFR flight too soon. On 6 March 1967, an Aeroflot An-12B (CCCP-11007) stalled and crashed on takeoff from Salekhard Airport, killing six of seven crew. The crew failed to select flaps before takeoff. On 30 June 1967, an An-12 operated by the Scientific Research Institute of Automatic Devices (НИИ автоматических устройств, NII avtomaticheskikh ustroystv) crashed near Mitino, Russia during a test flight, killing all nine on board. The aircraft was testing a cargo release system with a BMP-1. When the rear cargo door opened and the parachutes were released, the BMP-1 was to fall out of the aircraft but it became jammed and then turned around and was lodged in the rear of the aircraft. The four parachutes then deployed causing a large amount of drag that finally freed the BMP-1, but the rear fuselage was damaged in the process. The now-weakened tail section separated and control was lost and the aircraft crashed and exploded. On 7 February 1968, an Indian Air Force An-12 from Squadron 25 (tail number BL534 and operating as Flight 203) crashed in the Rohtang Pass, killing all 4 crew and 98 passengers. The remains of a person from the missing aircraft were discovered and identified in 2003, but the fate of the aircraft was unknown until a search party found the wreckage buried in snow in August 2005. Three more bodies were recovered in an Indian Army expedition in August 2007, and remains of another soldier were recovered on 22 August 2013. In 2018, a mountaineering team rediscovered the wreckage along with remains of a soldier. On 18 August 2019, an Indian Army-Indian Air Force joint team recovered several parts of the aircraft like an engine, fuselage, electric circuits, propeller, fuel tank unit, air brake assembly and a cockpit door. In September 2024, four more bodies were found, and three of the four were identified. On 3 June 1969, two Soviet Air Force An-12s collided in midair at night near Pskov, killing all 14 on board both aircraft. On 23 June 1969, a Soviet Air Force An-12BP (call sign "08525") flying in formation with two others collided with Aeroflot Flight 831, an Ilyushin Il-14 (CCCP-52018), over Yukhnov, Russia, killing all 120 on board both the aircraft. On 12 August 1969, Aeroflot Flight 5134, an An-12B (CCCP-11018) crashed while on approach to Novosibirsk due to a loss of engine power, killing four of six crew. On 8 September 1969, an Aeroflot An-12B (CCCP-11377) was taxiing at Amderma Airport when it was struck in the nose by a crashing Soviet Air Force Tupolev Tu-128 that had veered off the runway following landing gear failure, killing both pilots of the Tu-128 and five of eight on board the An-12. On 1 October 1969, a Soviet Air Force An-12 crashed near Pskov during a nighttime formation training flight in bad weather, killing six of seven on board. The tailing An-12 straightened its course and overtook the leading An-12, but the tail gun penetrated the cockpit, killing the pilot of that An-12. The co-pilot panicked and bailed out; the now-pilotless An-12 then crashed. On 13 November 1969, Aeroflot Flight 5009, an An-12TB (CCCP-11376), stalled and crashed on approach to Amderma Airport for reasons unknown, killing all nine on board. The cause of the crash was not determined, but after two similar crashes in 1971, it was determined that a stall caused by wing icing was the cause along with design defects. On 6 December 1969, Aeroflot Flight 5135, an An-12PL (CCCP-11381), stalled and crashed on approach to Khantanga Airport due to heavy icing, killing all eight on board.

1970s On 1 October 1970, an Aeroflot An-12B (CCCP-11031) crashed on takeoff from Kamenny Mys following double engine failure and loss of power from a third engine due to fuel system problems, killing all eight on board. On 28 October 1970, a Soviet Air Force An-12B stalled and crashed at Severny Air Base while attempting a go-around in bad weather, killing the six crew. On 22 January 1971, an Aeroflot An-12B (CCCP-11000) stalled and crashed on approach to Surgut Airport due to wing icing, killing all 14 on board. On 31 January 1971, an Aeroflot An-12B (CCCP-12996) also stalled and crashed on approach to Surgut Airport due to wing icing, killing the seven crew. Following this crash and three other crashes in 1969 and 1971, improvements were made to the air bleed control system including indicators to show the position of the hot air intake valve. Test flights were carried out to clarify aerodynamics of the An-12 in icing conditions. On 16 August 1971, Indian Air Force An-12A BL918 struck a hill near Ahmednagar during a practice bombing run, killing 11. On 26 May 1972, a Soviet Air Force An-12 crashed at Panevézys, Lithuania, killing five of the six crew. During a nighttime formation flight in bad weather, the aircraft lost sight of the leading aircraft following a descent to minimum safe altitude. While attempting to regain visual contact with the leading aircraft, the pilot failed to watch the altitude properly and the aircraft struck the ground. On 23 October 1972, two Soviet Air Force An-12BPs collided in mid-air over Tula Airport, killing all 27 on board both aircraft. On 6 March 1973, an An-12AP operated by Aeroflot crashed on approach while trying to land on Graham Bell Island for unknown reasons. Nobody was injured but the plane was written off as the result of the crash. The wreckage was not removed from the crash site. On 2 October 1973, Aeroflot Flight 10178, an An-12TB (CCCP-12967) struck a hillside near Magadan after deviating from the flight route during a go-around, killing all 10 on board. On 7 January 1974, a Soviet Air Force An-12BP stalled and crashed while on final approach to Vitebsk due to icing, killing 26 of 31 on board. The crew did not properly use the deicing system and ice accumulated on the flight surfaces of the aircraft. On 1 May 1974, an Aeroflot An-12B (CCCP-12950) struck an ice pinnacle at Polar Station SP-22 during an emergency takeoff, killing one of 16 on board. On 18 October 1974, an Aeroflot An-12B (CCCP-11030) struck trees and crashed while descending for Yeniseisk in bad weather, killing one of 12 on board. On 21 January 1977, a Soviet Air Force An-12BK-PPS collided with a Sukhoi Su-11 over Krestsy during a practice aircraft jamming flight, killing all nine on board both aircraft. On 13 May 1977, a LOT Polish Airlines An-12 (SP-LZA) operating a cargo flight carrying a cargo of veal from Warsaw, Poland, to Beirut, Lebanon, via Varna, Bulgaria, near Aramoun, Lebanon, killing all nine people on board. The aircraft had been approaching Beirut International Airport, but the pilots had encountered language difficulties when communicating with the local air traffic controllers, so that they likely lost the orientation. On 19 November 1978, Indian Air Force An-12B L950 crashed near Leh Airport, killing all 77 on board; a woman on the ground also died when the aircraft struck a hut. In 1978, an Aeroflot An-12BP (CCCP-11125) suffered damage when a container filled with acid broke during landing and was withdrawn from use due to severe corrosion. The aircraft was cancelled from the Soviet register in 1978; the incident could have occurred between 1972 and 1978. On 24 August 1979, Aeroflot Flight 22000, an An-12TB (CCCP-12963) force-landed on a wooded hillside near Yeniseisk after all four engines failed due to fuel contamination, killing 11 of 16 on board.

1980s On 7 January 1980, a Soviet Air Force An-12BP veered off the runway on landing at Kabul Airport and crashed into a rocket launcher, killing the navigator. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service. On 28 October 1980, Aeroflot Flight 1531, an An-12B (CCCP-11104) struck Mount Valsi-Karniaba, Afghanistan (16 mi from Kabul Airport) in poor weather, killing the six crew. Wreckage was found on 4 November 1980. On 24 August 1982, a Soviet Air Force An-12BP crashed near Chita after all four engines failed due to fuel contamination; all seven crew bailed out but one did not survive. On 15 February 1983, a Soviet Air Force An-12 was shot down by a SAM missile while on approach to Jalalabad Airport, killing the five crew. On 2 July 1983, a Soviet Air Force An-12 was struck by ground fire and crashed just after takeoff from Jalalabad Airport, killing the five crew. On 11 November 1983, a Soviet Air Force An-12 crashed near Burevestnik, killing all 30 on board. Wreckage was found in January 1984. On 21 November 1983, Soviet Air Force An-12 39 crashed near Senkovo due to icing, killing the nine crew. On 15 January 1984, Ethiopian Air Force An-12 1506 was reportedly hit by an SA-7 missile. The aircraft stalled and crashed near Tessenei Airport in Eritrea, resulting of the deaths of 26 on board. On 18 January 1984, Soviet Air Force An-12 CCCP-11429 was struck by a missile and crashed 25 mi south of Mazar-i-Sharif Airport while attempting a forced landing, killing the eight crew. On 16 February 1984, Ethiopian Air Force An-12 1509 was hijacked by a man demanding to be flown to Somalia. The hijacker detonated a grenade when he realized the aircraft was flying to Debre Zeit and the aircraft crashed afterward, reportedly killing 26 of 38 on board.