World's largest helicopter crashes in Russia, killing one

World's largest helicopter crashes in Russia, killing one

2011-12-21 07:23:54 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- One person was killed on early Tuesday morning when a large helicopter crashed in western Siberia, federal aviation officials said. Several others were injured.

The accident happened at around 08.34 GMT when the Mi-26T helicopter crashed near an oil plant in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous region, which is located in western Siberia. A total of six crew members were on board the aircraft, which was transporting freight.

The Federal Air Transport Agency said the helicopter was preparing to land when it went into an uncontrollable spin and crashed into the ground before it caught fire. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear, officials from the agency said.

A flight engineer, who was identified as Igor Eroshkin, was killed in the accident. Several other people were injured, but they were not believed to be in a life-threatening condition, according to the Nefteyugansk United Air Group, the aircraft's operator.

The Mi-26 is the world's largest and most powerful helicopter to have ever gone into production. It is used for both military and civilian purposes and has a capacity to carry up to 95 people.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-21