Pictured: Kenyan Mi-17 Contact photographer Guido Potters What: Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter Where: Rift Valley province, Kenya When: Monday May 11 Who: 28 on board, including Kenyan Internal Security Assistant Minister Orwa Ojode, Police Commissioner Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ali, Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan and journalists suffered injuries. Fifteen injured were taken to Nairobi Hospital. Why: When the helicopter developed mechanical problems and lost power, it crash landed in the Rift Valley. Fuel, flight voice and data recorders have been collected, and the Russian plane builders have been invited to join the investigation.
(unverified) Popular opinion is that the helicopter was too old to still be in service.
George’s Point of View
Air safety in Kenya, especially for government officials, seems to be an oxymoron.
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What: Spanair Airbus A320-200 en route from Barcelona to Stockholm Where: Belgium When: May 20th 2011 Why: While over Belgium, radio communication was disrupted. (This occurred during the handover to Dutch ATC.)
A Dutch escort was sent (2 F-16s) to intercept.
The Spanair pilots re-established contact, and were escorted into German airspace. The plane landed on schedule in Stockholm.
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What: Alrosa Mirny Air Tupolev TU-154M en route from Yakutia/Polyarny to Moscow Where: Komi republic, at the Izhma airport When: Sep 7th 2010 Who: 72 passengers, three children, nine crew members Why: Four hours into the flight, the plane suffered an on board power system failure. The plane suffered a complete failure of electrical power resulting in loss of navigation devices, fuel pumps and leaving the pilots with no knowledge of available fuel.
The pilot had to make an emergency immediate landing in the Komi republic, at the Izhma airport. The Izhma airport is normally used for helicopters in military operations, but it is a former 1200 meter airport runway. The plane overran the runway into a wooded area and was substantially damaged.
No passengers were hurt. They disembarked via slide in the forested area. The slide has seen better days. It is either third-hand, or has been used frequently.
The Komi Republic is arranging for transportation of passengers from Izhma to Ukhta (which is the nearest airport) by helicopter. On arrival in Ukhta, passengers will board a replacement flight and continue to Moscow
It appears that the carrier will leave the damaged plane where it sits, as it can not take off.
George’s Point of View
What an extraordinary feat to that plane safely. Imagine having no knowledge of how much fuel was left, or even if it would be accessible, with nowhere to land but on a helicopter landing strip, without power, with no way to brake. A harrowing ride, and some brilliant snap decisions on the part of the crew.
A helicopter exercise in Vietnam killed 19 of 21 people aboard on July 7, 2014 at 7:50 a.m.
Vietnam People’s Army Air Force (VPAAF), Regiment 91 suffered a loss of 19 when the Mil Mi-171 helicopter engaged in a parachute training mission crashed near village 11 in Thach That district, Vietnam, managing to impact a field instead of the residences.
The helicopter was flying out of Hoa Lac military Airport with sixteen parachute recruits aboard.
Two people survived the crash, with injuries. Five people had survived the crash with burn injuries, but three of them lost their lives at the hospital.
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What: Mi-171 helicopter owned by the Russian state gas giant Gazprom Where: snow-covered mountain region of Siberia near Chornaya Mountain in the rugged Altai region. When: Friday Jan 9 2009 Who: eleven passengers: Seven people were killed including Russia’s lower house of parliament rep Alexander Kosopkin; Four survivors were being treated in the city of Barnaul Why: The passengers had been on a hunting expedition. Under investigation is the possibility that poor quality fuel caused the helicopter’s engines to break down. Initial reports of eight dead were corrected to seven. No indication is made if crew is included in the passenger count.
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What: Kish Air Fokker 100 en route from Bandar Mahshahr to Tehran Where: Bandar Mahshahr When: Aug 5th 2009 Who: undisclosed number of passengers Why: On takeoff, the plane had tire damage. Pilots decided to land for repairs, but they turned out to be too extensive for the flight to continue.
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An air ambulance helicopter crashed in Vinton County, Ohio, on January 29th.
The incident happened when the Bell 407 helicopter was heading from Grove City to Pomeroy, Ohio, to pick up a patient.
There were three people aboard at the time, including the pilot, Jennifer L. Topper, 34, of Sunbury, Ohio, and nurses, Rachel L. Cunningham, 33, of Galloway, Ohio, and Bradley J. Haynes, 48, of London, Ohio. All of them were killed in the crash.
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