But the heavy bags and boxes containing the load in the cargo transport's belly were not securely loaded.
According to official government news agency TASS, a total of 172 bars broke loose as the Nimbus Airlines AN-12 aircraft lifted off from Yakutsk, the capital of Russia's eastern Siberia diamond mining region. That's more than three tons of gold falling from the sky after the transport took off.
"According to preliminary information, 172 ingots weighing about 3.4 tons were found, the cargo crumbled along the runway (at the Yakutsk airport) due to the fact that the cargo was incorrectly fixed. Some of the gold fell out, there were about 9 tons," a statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs admits.
According to local media, the shifting gold tore open a ramp and part of the aircraft's body as the heavy slid backwards during takeoff.
Gold bullion belonged to the Chukota Mining and Geological company.
The ramp fell on to a nearby car showyard. The gold continuously trickled out.
The depressurised and unbalanced aircraft then made an emergency landing at another airport at Magan, some 12km away. None of its five crew members were injured, officials say.
Secret service agents and police were summoned to mount an urgent and intensive effort to recover all the gold bars scattered over both runways and the 26km route the cargo aircraft took between them.
The gold fell out a broken section of the plane.
According to the Siberian Times, several cargo engineers from the airport of departure were detained. TASS says the engineers were members of the aircraft's own crew.
The Nimbus airline has not yet issued a statement.
The cargo belonged to the Chukota Mining and Geological company; 75 per cent owned by Canadian Kinross Gold.
