On April 25, 2020, a Mi-26T helicopter, registration RA-06268, operated by OOO "Abakan Air," was performing a scheduled cargo transport mission from Urengoy airfield to the Vankor outpost. The flight was intended to transport 13,800 kg of equipment for LLC "RN-Drilling." The crew arrived at the Urengoy airfield at 02:30 and completed all pre-flight preparations, including medical examinations and weather briefings, prior to a 04:00 departure.
At the time of takeoff, the aircraft had a total fuel load of 9,000 kg. The takeoff weight was recorded at 52,700 kg, with a center of gravity of -10 mm, both of which were within the established limits for the Mi-2leT. The aircraft was carrying two passengers in addition to the crew.
During the flight, the crew heard a loud bang at approximately 04:40. This was followed by a failure and surge of the left engine. The pilot-in-command attempted to land the helicopter at a landing area rather than performing the short-run landing prescribed by the flight manual for such an emergency.
As the airspeed decreased due to the reduced power from the single operating engine, the rotor speed also decreased prematurely. This resulted in a hard landing characterized by excessive vertical speed, which caused structural damage to the aircraft. There were no injuries or fatalities reported in the incident.