An Antonov plane carrying over 9 tonnes of gold lost more than a third of its cargo during take-off in the Russian city of Yakutsk, Siberia on Thursday, reported TASS Russian News Agency.

The An-12 cargo plane was making the 4 thousand km trip from Chukotka, East Siberia, to Krasnoyarsk when it landed for a scheduled refueling stop at Yakutsk airport located halfway between the two locations.

Upon take-off the plane’s cargo hatch detached and the precious content fell on the runway.

Members of the crew were not injured and the plane landed safely in Magan, situated 26 km away.

A local transport police spokesman told TASS on Thursday that all 172 gold bars that were lost have been found.

Russian media report that the problem occurred due to the cargo not being properly fastened by technicians.

Considering Antoov planes’ long operational history, being produced in the period 1957-1973, the great number of accidents involving the plane come as no surprise.