What happened
On July 8, 2009, a Mil Mi-2 helicopter, registration RA-204 even 413, operated by ZAO Smolenskairtrans, was conducting a routine inspection of a gas pipeline. The flight was authorized under a specific request from the Smolensk LPU MG to monitor the pipeline route between the Divasy landing pad and Smolensk-Yuzhny airfield. The flight began with a departure from Smolensk-Yuzhny at 09:25 to pick up three representatives from the customer organization.
After picking up the passengers at the Divasy landing pad, the crew departed at 10:55. The mission involved flying at an altitude of 50 to 100 meters along the pipeline toward the village of Dukhovshchina. During the tenth minute of the flight, one of the passengers requested that the pilot land at the 295 km mark of the gas pipeline to inspect a specific work site. The pilot decided to proceed with the landing at a site selected from the air and notified the air traffic controller of the change.
After the passengers disembarked, they requested that the pilot fly to the area near Lisichino to wait for them while they inspected the pipeline construction site on foot. While attempting to land at a second site, which had also been selected from the air, the tail rotor made contact with the ground. This impact caused the rotor to disintegrate, leading to a loss of control. The helicopter overturned onto its right side and subsequently caught fire.
The investigation
- The investigation examined the flight authorization and the crew's decision-making process regarding the landing.
- The investigation reviewed the sequence of events leading to the tail rotor strike during the landing phase.
- The investigation looked into the communication between the crew and the passengers regarding the change in flight path.