Incident Overview
On June 1, 2018, at 04:03:30 local time, a Mil Mi-8T helicopter registered RA-25350 and operated by Polar Airlines (AO "AK "Polyarnye Avialinii") departed from the Omsk Aircraft Repair Plant (OA "OZGA") for a ferry flight to Yakutsk. The helicopter had undergone repair at the plant, completed on February 13, 2018. The crew, consisting of a pilot-in-command, co-pilot, and flight engineer, had been assigned by company order on May 21, 2018. Two service passengers—aviation technicians for avionics and airframe/engine maintenance—were also on board.
The Flight and Bird Strike
The planned route included stops at Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Bratsk, Ust-Kut, Lensk, and Yakutsk for refueling and crew rest. The crew had previously ferried another Mi-8T (RA-25149) from Yakutsk to Omsk on May 25, 2018, and accepted RA-25350 on May 31, performing an engine ground run. The flight plan for the first leg to Tolmachevo Airport (Novosibirsk) was filed on May 31.
At 04:21:13, while flying at an altitude of 175 meters, a bird entered the air intake of the left engine. The pilot-in-command executed a forced landing. During the landing, the helicopter sustained substantial damage. No fire occurred either in flight or on the ground. The crew and passengers evacuated the aircraft on their own.
Aftermath
The aircraft was substantially damaged, but no further details about injuries or fatalities are mentioned in the source. The investigation did not state a probable cause.