MOSCOW: A Russian helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff Saturday in Siberia, killing all 18 people aboard, mostly oil workers, authorities said.
The helicopter, operated by Utair airline, was carrying 15 passengers and three crew members, all of whom have been confirmed dead. The chopper was reportedly taking workers to an oil well.
The crash took place shortly after take-off, with the helicopter’s fuel tanks full. The resulting fire is believed to have completely incinerated the aircraft.
UTair, one of Russia’s largest airlines, operates an extensive fleet of helicopters serving Siberian oil fields as well as fixed-wing flights within Russia and to international destinations, mostly in the former Soviet republics.
Russian air safety has improved since the 1990s, when poor aircraft maintenance, pilot training and official oversight in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union resulted in a high number of crashes.
According to the TASS news agency, the helicopter’s black boxes have already been recovered and appear undamaged.Almost 80 rescuers and four aircraft have been deployed to collect the debris, the Emergencies Ministry said.
Russia’s emergencies ministry said the MI—8 went down at 10.20 a.m., about 180km from the town of Igarka, the BBC reported.
Law enforcers said that all possible versions were under consideration, including a crew error and equipment failure.Russian news reports said all the passengers were believed to have been working for a subsidiary of the state oil company Rosneft.
