Mi-26T Arctic VRS Accident 28 November 2018
UTair Mi-26T helicopter RA-06029 crashed on 28 November 2018 with the loss of one life, the aircraft commander.
UTair Mi-26T RA-06029 (Credit: IAC/MAK)
Five other crew members survived, one with head and spinal injuries. The helicopter was returning from delivering 17 t of “building materials” to Naulskaya in the Nenets Autonomous Area. the 56 t Mi-26T can carry a maximum payload of 20 t. It is powered by two 11,400 shp D-136 turboshafts and has a 32 m (105 ft) main rotor diameter.
Safety Investigation
The IAC/MAK safety investigation report (only available in Russian) revealed that during a night VFR flight, the aircraft descended from 2000 ft to around 15o ft AGL, and slowed to c 30 knots, c 3 nm from its destination at Pizhma as the weather unexpectedly deteriorated. The crew had not received a more recent forecast while unloading at Naulskaya.
The investigators say the helicopter impacted the ground 760m from Pizhma during a second approach attempt after entering a Vortex Ring State (VRS) while distracted by the visual search for the landing site.
UTair Mi-26T RA-06029 (Credit: IAC/MAK): Note the adjacent oil pipelines
The accident was the result of the crew not making a timely decision to leave for the alternate aerodrome when the weather conditions on the landing site worsened to values lower than those set for VFR.
UTair Mi-26T RA-06029 (Credit: IAC/MAK)
The investigators say contributory factors included:
- unsatisfactory interaction of the crew
- approach at altitudes and flight speeds less than those established by the Flight Manual
- deficiencies in the selection of crew members capable of working away from base
- lack of an effective control of deployed crews
- deficiencies in the Safety Management System (SMS) which did not identify and reduce risk when performing operations in the difficult conditions of the Arctic.
UPDATE 25 April 2020: Another dramatic Mi-26 accident is caught on video.
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A UTair Mi-26T (Credit: Shawn CC BY-SA 2.0)
Safety Resources
- AAIB Report on 2013 Sumburgh Helicopter Accident
- Hard Landing after VRS on Approach to a Hospital Site
- UPDATE 19 April 2020: SAR Helicopter Loss of Control at Night: ATSB Report
- UPDATE 18 July 2020: Vortex Ring State: Virginia State Police Bell 407 Fatal Accident
- UPDATE 3 October 2021: French Cougar Crashed After Entering VRS When Coming into Hover
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