An Mi-8 tourist helicopter crashed in Russia's Altai Mountains Thursday (July 27), killing at least six people and injuring seven.
In a video released to the Daily Mail, the helicopter was supposed to be doing a routine landing near the town of Tyungur when, all of a sudden, the helicopter spun out of control and hit overhead electric cables, further destabilizing its controls.
The helicopter eventually crashed and exploded, creating a huge fireball after slamming into a field.
Tourist Flight Gone Wrong
According to Russian authorities, the helicopter belonged to a company called "Altai Avia" and was carrying a group of tourists. It had just flown to Mt. Belukha, the highest peak in the Altai Mountains in Southern Siberia.
The exact cause of the crash is yet to be confirmed, but the Russian Emergency Ministry indicated the chopper had hit electric cables, while another speculated a wiring problem within the aircraft.
The crew were identified as pilot Vyacheslav Demikhov (52) co-pilot Oleg Egorov (42) and flight engineer Alexei Desyatov (28). There were also 13 tourists in the helicopter, including eight women.
The identities of the killed and injured have not yet been specified.
About the Mi-8 Hip
The Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name: "Hip") is a Soviet-era transport helicopter that initially operated in 1961. They have been exported across the Soviet Union and beyond, seeing action as far as Finland, Iraq, and Africa.
Both Russia and Ukraine have a fleet of Mi-8s which they use in their current conflict as transport and reconnaissance aircraft, command post, and armed gunship.
In civilian use, the Mi-8 can be used for transport and hauling, firefighting, search and rescue, and even as an agricultural crop duster.
