The flight recorders of the crashed Mi-8 helicopter in Kamchatka are in satisfactory condition, Federal Air Transport Agency chief Dmitry Yadrov said at a meeting with regional chief Vladimir Solodov.
“I believe that the preliminary causes of the plane crash will be announced as soon as possible.” – TASS quotes him as saying.
According to Yadrov, two commissions are working at the crash site: the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), the Federal Air Transport Agency commission and Rostransnadzor. The helicopter’s “black boxes” will be handed over to Moscow.
Yadrov noted that the Vityaz-Aero company, which owned the crashed plane, had already suffered a plane crash and “had comments.” However, as the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency noted, the airline has eliminated the shortcomings.
“We understand that many settlements in Kamchatka do not have any other means of transport except air, and we must also prevent social tension that may arise,” – he added.
The Mi-8 disappeared over Kamchatka on the morning of August 31. There were 22 people on board: three crew members and 19 passengers. A day later, their remains were found near the place where the crew last made contact. On September 2, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the bodies of all 22 dead people had been found at the crash site.
The Investigative Committee mentioned two main versions of the plane crash: pilot error and technical malfunction. The department opened a case under Part 3 of Art. 263 of the Criminal Code (violation of air transport safety rules, resulting in the death of two or more people).
In 2021, the Federal Air Transport Agency restricted Vityaz-Aero’s certificate, banning it from commercial passenger transport, following the crash of a Mi-8 helicopter, also in Kamchatka. The Mi-8 then crashed into Lake Kuril, with 13 tourists and three crew members on board. As a result of the incident, eight people died and eight more managed to escape.
