After the take-off the helicopter with the Defense Ministry’s examination experts aboard found itself in a low nebulosity zone.
Photo: Ignaty Savransky
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A Helicopter Gets Lost in Fog
Mi-8 Crush
A commission of Russia’s Defense Ministry started investigating the crash of the Mi-8 helicopter which fell down outside Vladikavkaz on Monday, killing 11 senior officers. Wrong actions of the crew and bad weather are among possible causes of the crash.
Members of the Defense Ministry’s commission probing into the crash visited the site yesterday to examine the debris.
Two flight recorders of the Mi-8 have been found, Alexander Baranov, commander of the North Caucasian Military District, reported. General Baranov said that in all likelihood, the helicopter crashed because of wrong actions of the crew in bad weather conditions. After the take-off the helicopter, which carried the Defense Ministry’s examination experts from rear services, found itself in low nebulosity. The Mi-8 tried to escape it, went down but happened to be above the mountains with high forests.
“It seems that the helicopter went down too low and hooked the trees’ tops with vanes,” General Baranov said.
Russian prosecutors have opened a criminal case on charges of violating flight regulations. There has been no mention of terrorism charges, though investigators do not rule any theories. Three survivors of the crash have already testified, prosecutors reported. The commander of the Mi-8 was unable to give evidence, though. He went through a 3-hour-long surgery, and is in a grave condition now.
The trip of the Mi-8 took was reportedly conducted with a number of flagrant violations of flight safety regulations. The examination group usually travels in two helicopters, which they did in the Monday trip as well. However, the organizers of the flights did not coordinate their routes. Besides, the helicopters flew without an escort helicopter, which is obligatory for flights to Chechnya. As a result, the second helicopter did not see the first one fall, and local emergency services learnt about the crash from the police.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Sep. 13, 2006
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