Russian commanders punished for overloaded Mi-26 crash
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Russian commanders punished for overloaded Mi-26 crash
New York Times report
Russia punished several senior military commanders Saturday for lapses that contributed to the crash of a military helicopter in Chechnya on Aug. 19, which killed 119 soldiers and civilians.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced that he had forced the resignation of the general in charge of army aviation and reprimanded at least four other generals.
An investigation, completed Friday, concluded that gross negligence had contributed to the death toll, if not the crash itself. Ivanov said a criminal investigation into the crash was still under way and could lead to prosecutions.
Russian officials have said a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile, evidently fired by a Chechen fighter, downed the helicopter, but most of the recriminations over the disaster have focused not on the Chechen rebels but on Russian commanders.
The MI-26 transport helicopter crashed in a minefield as it approached the main Russian base in Chechnya. The helicopter, designed to carry 22 tons of cargo or 80 combat-equipped troops, was carrying at least 147 passengers when it crashed. Only 28 survived, including the helicopter's pilot and crew members.
Ivanov did not detail the extent of their punishments, but they appear to have been reprimanded for a breakdown of discipline that allowed the helicopter to be grossly overloaded.
In remarks broadcast on television, he singled out General Troshev for "not undertaking effective measures to ensure military aviation security and for failing to prevent the deaths of servicemen."
Four days after the crash, President Putin disclosed that the Defense Ministry had issued an order in 1997 prohibiting that type of helicopter from ferrying passengers, limiting it to cargo and crew.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced that he had forced the resignation of the general in charge of army aviation and reprimanded at least four other generals.
An investigation, completed Friday, concluded that gross negligence had contributed to the death toll, if not the crash itself. Ivanov said a criminal investigation into the crash was still under way and could lead to prosecutions.
Russian officials have said a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile, evidently fired by a Chechen fighter, downed the helicopter, but most of the recriminations over the disaster have focused not on the Chechen rebels but on Russian commanders.
The MI-26 transport helicopter crashed in a minefield as it approached the main Russian base in Chechnya. The helicopter, designed to carry 22 tons of cargo or 80 combat-equipped troops, was carrying at least 147 passengers when it crashed. Only 28 survived, including the helicopter's pilot and crew members.
Ivanov did not detail the extent of their punishments, but they appear to have been reprimanded for a breakdown of discipline that allowed the helicopter to be grossly overloaded.
In remarks broadcast on television, he singled out General Troshev for "not undertaking effective measures to ensure military aviation security and for failing to prevent the deaths of servicemen."
Four days after the crash, President Putin disclosed that the Defense Ministry had issued an order in 1997 prohibiting that type of helicopter from ferrying passengers, limiting it to cargo and crew.
Last edited by Bronx; 10th Sep 2002 at 10:16.
Thank you Bronx, for that quote from New York Times.
In my opinion that Mi-26 was hardly overloaded with 147 passengers on board.
Even if all the passengers were male, then if using JAR standard weight the total weight would be only 13,2 metric tons. Which is well under the Mi-26īs max usable load of 22-26 tons.
Of course they were carrying more pax than allowed, but the aircraft could easily carry the weight and sometimes you have to do what you have to do, expecially in combat situations.
In my opinion that Mi-26 was hardly overloaded with 147 passengers on board.
Even if all the passengers were male, then if using JAR standard weight the total weight would be only 13,2 metric tons. Which is well under the Mi-26īs max usable load of 22-26 tons.
Of course they were carrying more pax than allowed, but the aircraft could easily carry the weight and sometimes you have to do what you have to do, expecially in combat situations.
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But still... 147 people would have been shoved in there without any mention of seat belts or proper seating. I bet there was at least a little cargo or luggage in there too, further cramping things. Still safe?
It'd be interesting to find out if that world-record breaking mass skydive in which several MI26s were used to ferry the passengers to alitutde was before or after 1997... anyone know?
Mike
It'd be interesting to find out if that world-record breaking mass skydive in which several MI26s were used to ferry the passengers to alitutde was before or after 1997... anyone know?
Mike
