MI-8 crash in Kamchatka, Russia

[Time Out]

A Pacific Fleet MI-8 Hip helicopter has crashed in Kamchatka, Colonel Igor Dygalo, aide to the Russian Navy commander, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday. "The MI-8 helicopter was discovered on the ice on Lake Galagir (100 kilometres from Cape Shipunskoy in Kamchatka) at 0905 Moscow time. It was lying on its side and its tail was damaged," Dygalo said, adding that the three crewmembers and four passengers were not injured.

"The crewmembers and passengers will be evacuated on a KA-27 Helix helicopter on Friday due to the bad weather conditions in the area of the air crash," he said. Dygalo blamed a technical malfunction for the incident.

The MI-8 took off from the Yelizovo airfield in Petropavlovsk- Kamchatsky at 0258 Moscow time on Thursday. It arrived at Cape Shipunskoy at 0336 Moscow time. Later, the helicopter, which was already on its way back to Yelizovo, failed to respond to air traffic controllers at 0700 Moscow time. Another MI-8 helicopter was sent to search for it.

source (http://www.gateway2russia.com/st/art_202065.php)

[Flytest]

Mi 8 Is rapidly becoming a bigger crashfest king than the Robbie's.

Am doing flight trials on one of these next month :ugh:

[helmet fire]

Considering they are the most built helicopter - are you falling into that statistical trap where there are more of them flying, thus more of them crashing? Looks like you did with the Robbie.

Hope your flight test is a wee bit more broadminded. My experience with them has left me with a fantastic impression. I have been involved with them doing precision longline, pax and logistics support, and just plain steel moving. Never ever saw a complaint. Reliability. Power. Room. Rugged. Stable. Efficient. Fast. And I reckon they would be the best fire fighting aircraft you could use.

I hope you enjoy your time in them and I am sure we would all like to hear your impressions after. I am very jealous because I never got to fly one - cant squeeze me in somehow???:8 :8

[tecpilot]

Anxious now? Wait for the noise of the artifical force trim system. :p :ok:

[Aesir]

Hehe..:O TECPILOT guess you flown one also.

I really like the Mi-17, never flown Mi-8 except Mi-8MTV which is pretty much a Mi-17.

Excellent helicopters. I also tried the simulator in St Petersburg, it´s pretty good although it´s fixed (non-moving) but hell that really makes no difference, sometimes when the B-222 sim in Ft-Worth goes "off motion" you don´t notice it.

[tecpilot]

@ Aesir

Fully agree. It's a pretty nice ship. But it's a heavy twin and therefore flying and maintenance is a little bit different to the mostly known western a/c. But that's not a question of poor russian technology but to other russian operational conditions, design and "customer" wishes.

Have also seen and "flown" a motionally simulator, called KTV Mi-8. But due to really in this case "older" flightsim technology the sim wasn't really usable on "near ground" modes (hover sim). :ok:

Co-pilot seat Mi-8, looks simple, or...

http://helicopassion.free.fr/Images/BH/bh350c.jpg:O

[Flytest]

Helmet Fire,

merely makinga flippant reference to the number of high profile accidents recently. I'm not a Robbie basher by birth or any other type for that matter. Call me a snob, but I will always prefer the reassuring whine of a couple of turbines over a single piston. That said, I have been found in Robbies on more than the odd occasion :ok:

As for the Mi8, my involvement is with an MTV, and in response to your comments I will certainly let you know how it goes, good or bad... Good hopefully.

[tecpilot]

@ Flytest

If you find a good crew and a spit polished ship you will love it...

http://www.aviabaltika.com/img/pics/about_mexico_pic1.jpg


... if you are on the right area. :O :D ;) :p :cool: :rolleyes: :}

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1785000/images/_1785257_helicopter300ap.jpg



@ Aesir

http://www.sparcavia.com/p/trenager1.jpg

[Flytest]

Tecpilot: Going to Khaberovsk... so your picture doesn't look anywhere near cold enough mate:cool:

Ship is straight from factory.. having been crash repaired:{

[tecpilot]

Shure, you have to go to area (picture) 1 :cool:

It could be nice in a well climated hangar... and for outside operations the Mi-8/Mi-17 heating system is overdesigned (shorts and t-shirts recommended :p ) kerosene heater available uuuffffff....

[Flytest]

TP

my cheap laptop only showed middle piccy last time I looked at thread, the hangar shot and the sim are much more reassuring!!!!!

On a serious note, just going out to solve a vibration problem, apparently the customer has been attempting a bit of RTB and the aircraft now rattles like 50 skeletons fornicating in an aluminium dustbin.

Will take plenty phots and submit for Rotorheads scrutiny / interest.

[tecpilot]

@ Flytest

i'm not shure that you will find such conditions... or is it a flighttest branch? :p :p :p :p

Check if the pilots have chutes...

Clocks are turning not allways clockwise in russia and sometimes it's not easy to keep cool for a western European.

By the way, if Khabe(a)rovsk have such "MEN in WHITE" :confused: why the fu.. they need a specialist from the other side of the world after more than 10.000 produced Mi-8/Mi-17?

:ugh: :ugh:

[Flytest]

TP,

"By the way, if Khabe(a)rovsk have such "MEN in WHITE" why the fu.. they need a specialist from the other side of the world after more than 10.000 produced Mi-8/Mi-17? "

Good question, well phrased. Truth is, I don't know.

Apparently they have tried "Everything" and still the aircraft rattles like the aforementioned skeletons.

I'm sure there will be a perfectly simple reason for this, sometimes it takes an independant pair of eyes to see it.

Alternatively, maybe the men in white coats are actors, and 10,000 aircraft produced is cold war propeganda !!!!!!!!

Either way, looking forward to the experience, I hear our colleagues in the east are great to work with.

[Moochie Moo]

Flytest,

I'm intrigued. I'm scratching my head to work out why any cash strapped Russian operator would fly someone from the UK across the Russian Federation to sort out a vibe problem, when you're not type rated, familiar with the MTV-1 or allowed to operate as a crew member in a RF registered aircraft. Certainly look forward to hearing of your adventure!

[Flytest]

Moochie,

I do have certain qualities which you won't find on any JAR manual, and for which people will pay handsomely ;)

[tecpilot]

@ flytest

hope you have a pleasant trip to siberia. Looking forward to hear from you and the rattle ship.

And i confess there is a little bit of envy...
would like to trade the whole JAA and her results of paperwork and (ir)regulations into such good ol ' test trips.

The hangar shoot is western := it's common in russia that a/c have to stand in the wide open... bad and really hard for maintenance!