Accident Overview
On April 11, 2018, during daytime hours, a Mil Mi-8P helicopter, registration RA-24640, operated by AO Avia Company Vostok, was involved in an accident near the Khabarovsk MVL landing site. The helicopter was being flown by a crew from the airline.
Flight Details
The flight was conducted as part of a training mission for four aircraft commanders of AO Avia Company Vostok, aimed at preparing them for operations during the spring-summer period. The training was based on orders from the company's general director and flight director, as well as the training program for Mi-8 flight crews. The specific exercise was Task 16, Exercise 2 of the training program: "Training flights and landings with a short roll with one engine shut down (throttled back)."
Preparation
Preliminary flight preparation was carried out by the airline's management within the established timeframes and in full. The final briefing for the crew was conducted by the commander of the aviation squadron on April 10, 2018. The flight was authorized by a request submitted at 23:00 UTC on April 10, 2018, by the management of AO Avia Company Vostok to the Khabarovsk ZTS ATM Center. Pre-flight preparation, including a medical check, began at 23:30 UTC on April 10, 2018, under the supervision of an instructor pilot at the Khabarovsk MVL landing site.