Summary
- 22 people are missing after a Vityaz Aero Mi-8T helicopter disappears over the Kamchatka Peninsula.
- Search and rescue operations were initiated despite darkness and worsening weather conditions.
- A criminal investigation was launched for air traffic safety rules violation in connection with the missing Mi-8 helicopter.
A Vityaz Aero Mi-8T helicopter, carrying 22 people onboard, went missing over the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, the Russian news agency Tass reported on August 31, 2024.
19 tourists, three crew members reported missing
The news was also confirmed by the governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, who announced it on his Telegram channel. He stated that a Mi-8 helicopter belonging to Vityaz Aero, one of the largest tour operators in Kamchatka, had gone missing and that a search and rescue operation had been initiated. In a statement, Solodov said:
“Today, at around 16:15 [local Kamchatka time – Simple Flying note], a Mi-8 helicopter disappeared from contact. It was heading along the route from the Vachkazhets volcano to the heliport in the village of Nikolaevka. There were 22 people onboard: 19 passengers and three crew members.”
He added that the rescue operation is ongoing and will continue, despite the darkness and worsening weather conditions, as long as it poses no risks to the health and lives of the rescuers.
The Russian Mi-8 helicopter was en route from the Vachkazhets volcano to the heliport in the village of Nikolaevka. According to the report, the Mi-8T disappeared from the radar almost immediately after takeoff.
Photo: Ingrid Pakats | Shutterstock
The Kamchatka Hydrometeorological Center told the Russian news agency Tass that visibility was low near Nikolaevka airport, close to the Vachkazhets volcano in Kamchatka, where contact with the Mi-8T helicopter was lost. Notably, drizzle and fog were observed in the area in question.
Criminal investigation launched
The Kamchatka Investigative Department for Transport has launched a criminal investigation regarding a violation of air traffic safety rules, the Eastern Interregional Investigative Department for Transport of the Investigative Committee of Russia announced on its Telegram channel.
About the Mi-8 helicopter
In service since 1968, the Mikhail Mil Mi-8 helicopter (best known as the Mil Mi-8) is a medium twin-turbine aircraft capable of carrying 24 people, 4000 kg of cargo, or 12 stretchered patients. Originally introduced to the Soviet Air Force (now the Russian Air Force), the Mi-8 is most commonly used as a transport helicopter, armed gunship, and reconnaissance platform. Less often, the Mi-8 is used as a leisure aircraft.
Photo: crordx | Shutterstock
Notably, the Mi-8 is the world’s most-produced helicopter, with more than 17,000 units produced since the 1960s, according to a report by the Air Force Magazine. More than 35 military and civilian variants, including the more powerful Mi-17, have been utilized for a range of purposes, such as transport, armed reconnaissance, gunship missions, heavy civilian airlift, and even for delivering radiation-absorbing materials to the failed reactor at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.