Incident Overview
On January 7, 2026, at 09:33 local time, a Robinson R44 helicopter (registration RA-04389) took off from a private property in the village of Yelpachikha. The aircraft was owned by LLC "Tattranscom" (LLC "TTK"), based in Barda, and was kept on the private property of the company's director. The director, who did not hold a valid pilot certificate or appropriate qualifications, acted as pilot-in-command (PIC) for the flight. He did not submit a flight plan, and no information is available regarding pre-flight preparation of the aircraft.
Flight Progression
Weather conditions at the time were suitable for visual flight rules (VFR). At 09:44, the PIC landed at an LLC "TTK" facility in Barda to board a passenger. The helicopter then departed at 09:47, heading toward the "Ashatli Park" recreation base. According to the flight path, the helicopter arrived over the base at 09:58 and began performing various maneuvers, including descending to an altitude of 10 meters.
Collision and Impact
At 10:02:16, while flying over the base at a heading of 270° and an altitude of 26 meters, the helicopter struck metal cables belonging to a zipline device. The impact caused the main rotor blades to disintegrate. The PIC was not wearing his seatbelt; he fell from the helicopter and was fatally injured. The helicopter then collided with the frozen surface of a body of water and was destroyed. The passenger was fatally injured inside the cabin.
Aftermath
The accident site was located near the village of Barda. The investigation was conducted by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC). No probable cause was specified in the source material.