Following the crash of Vityaz-Aero’s Mi-8T helicopter in a mountain range in southern Kamchatka, which killed 22 people on board, the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) and Rostransnadzor have launched an inspection of the carrier’s activities. The inspection will focus on the training of flight crews and compliance with the recommendations issued by Rosaviatsia after the previous disaster in 2021. This is stated on the official website of the executive bodies of the Kamchatka region.
On 31 August, the Mi-8T helicopter of Vityaz-Aero Airlines was flying from a site near the Vachkazhets mountain range to a site in the village of Nikolaevka. The top of the mountain reaches 1556 metres above sea level and is located 80 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. At the appointed time the crew did not get in touch. As a result of the search operation, the wreckage was found at an altitude of 900 metres near the place where the flight last made contact.
The parametric recorders found at the crash site are badly damaged, but the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) plans to recover information from them for detailed analysis. The IAC commission will study the organisation of the flight of the crashed helicopter, the state of aviation equipment, the level of crew training and the impact of weather conditions on the accident. Two main versions of the crash are being considered: technical malfunction and pilot error in difficult weather conditions: in the fog the pilot could not see the hillside and crashed into its slope.
The Eastern Interregional Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee for Transport opened a criminal case on the fact of violation of the rules of flight safety and operation of air transport, which caused the death of people.
This is not the first aviation accident involving Vityaz-Aero helicopters. On 12 August 2021, the same Mi-8T of the carrier crashed and sank in Kuril Lake, killing eight people. Following an investigation, it was determined that the cause of the crash was heavy fog in the area of the accident.
On 30 September 2021, Rosaviatsia held an extended meeting with civil aviation organisations on the prevention of accidents caused by the collision of serviceable aircraft with the ground in controlled flight. The department drew the attention of airline management and persons responsible for ensuring flight safety that there is a direct link between the causes of errors and violations of ordinary flight personnel and the activities of the organisations’ management. It was pointed out the unfavourable situation with personnel management, financial condition of the organisations, low level of labour and corporate discipline, as well as flight safety culture.
Speaking about the personal responsibility of the aircraft commander for the safe completion of the flight, the personal responsibility of the CEO to create all conditions necessary for crew members and other subordinate personnel to comply with the established rules without fail was recognised, and violations of flight rules, especially deliberately, indicate the inability or unwillingness of top management to secure the future of their organisation.
