Russian Military Lose 8 Fixed-Wing Aircraft & 11 helicopters in 2002
The Russian military lost eight airplanes and eleven helicopters in air incidents and emergencies in 2002, an official of the Defense Ministry flight safety department said Monday (27th January).
According to him, the losses include three L-39 airplanes, one An-26, one An-12, one Su-24 and one Su-27, in addition to six Mi-8 helicopters, four Mi-24 and one Mi-26.
He blamed pilot error for 67 percent of the incidents.
One Su-25 airplane and nine helicopters crashed during missions over the North Caucasus in 2002.
These emergencies claimed the lives of nine crewmembers and 136 passengers.
Of the nine helicopters, Chechen rebels shot down five, including two Mi-8, two Mi-24 and one Mi-26.
On August 19, a Mi-26 transport helicopter with 147 people on board was shot down near the Chechen capital of Grozny by Chechen rebels, killing 121 people. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the catastrophe as “the second Kursk tragedy.”
The number of incidents in 2002 decreased by 17 percent from that in 2001, while the number of casualties was larger, with losses among passengers and crew members rising from 49 in 2001 to 179 in 2002.
Source: CNN Money/Xinhua (29th January, 2003)
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Steve ~ Touchdown-News
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January 31, 2003 at 6:06 pm