What happened
On February 2, 2016, at approximately 0730 UTC, a Robinson R66, registration RA-06239, crashed near Aviatornyi Township, Kirsanov District, Tambov Region, Russia. The helicopter, operated by Southeast Agricultural Group, LLC, departed from Kirsanov Air Base Airport for a non-commercial flight.
After takeoff, the helicopter traveled east-southeast of the departure airport. During the flight, the aircraft descended to an altitude of between 2 and 3 meters. While the pilot was accelerating in ground effect over snow-covered, featureless terrain, the skids made contact with the ground, causing the helicopter to nose over. The aircraft was destroyed in the accident. The commercial pilot and one passenger sustained two serious injuries, and there were no fatalities.