On December 16, 2018, a Mi-8T helicopter, registration RA-22649, operated by JSC 'Avia-predpriyatie Yeltsovka,' was performing a scheduled personnel transport mission. The flight plan involved multiple stops between various settlements, including Kargask Prichal, Kedrovoy Promzona, 395 Mayskaya, and 572 Mayskaya. The crew arrived at the Kargask Prichal landing site at 01:00 and began pre-flight preparations at 01:30.
Following the takeoff at 02:35, the crew successfully completed five flight segments without incident. During the mission, the aircraft was refueled with 1386 kg of TS-1 fuel after the third flight. The crew had reported no maintenance issues prior to departure, and the weather forecast received via telephone did not preclude flight operations.
During the mission, the helicopter experienced a catastrophic failure of the tail rotor shaft assembly. The failure caused the aircraft to enter an uncontrollable left rotation and a loss of altitude, ultimately resulting in a collision with the ground in the Kedroty area of the Parabel district. There were no injuries or fatalities reported in the accident.