The aeroplane being used to transport Machel that day, registration C9-CAA, was manufactured by Tupolev in 1980 according to specifications for Mozambique.
It had flown about 1,100 flying hours since the first flight, and had undergone its last major inspection in August 1984 in the USSR.
Service records indicated that it had been properly maintained, and data recovered from the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) showed the aircraft and all its systems were operating normally.

The flight crew of five consisted of captain Yuri Viktorovich Novodran (48), co-pilot Igor Petrovich Kartamyshev (29), flight engineer Vladimir B. Novoselov (age unknown), navigator Oleg Nikolaevich Kudryashov (48), and radio operator Anatoly Shulipov (39), who were all USSR state employees operating the aircraft for the Mozambican government.
They were well experienced in both day and night flying in Mozambique and in landings at Maputo airport.

On the morning of 19 October, Machel boarded the aeroplane at Maputo, and after a refuelling stop in Lusaka, Zambia arrived at Mbala at 11:00.
After the meeting with Kaunda and Dos Santos, Machel and his party re-boarded the aircraft and departed Mbala at 18:38 for a non-stop return to Maputo.
The weather forecast for the flight was favourable, with an estimated time of arrival of 21:25.
The aeroplane being used to transport Machel that day, registration C9-CAA, was manufactured by Tupolev in 1980 according to specifications for Mozambique. It had flown about 1,100 flying hours since the first flight, and had undergone its last major inspection in August 1984 in the USSR. Service records indicated that it had been properly maintained, and data recovered from the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) showed the aircraft and all its systems were operating normally.
The flight crew of five consisted of captain Yuri Viktorovich Novodran (48), co-pilot Igor Petrovich Kartamyshev (29), flight engineer Vladimir B. Novoselov (age unknown), navigator Oleg Nikolaevich Kudryashov (48), and radio operator Anatoly Shulipov (39), who were all USSR state employees operating the aircraft for the Mozambican government. They were well experienced in both day and night flying in Mozambique and in landings at Maputo airport.
On the morning of 19 October, Machel boarded the aeroplane at Maputo, and after a refuelling stop in Lusaka, Zambia arrived at Mbala at 11:00. After the meeting with Kaunda and Dos Santos, Machel and his party re-boarded the aircraft and departed Mbala at 18:38 for a non-stop return to Maputo. The weather forecast for the flight was favourable, with an estimated time of arrival of 21:25.
1986 Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 crash