A military helicopter has crashed during an air show in central Russia, killing one of its pilots and injuring another, the Russian Defense Ministry says.
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The Russian-made MI-28 with three other helicopters was taking part in the show at Dubrovichi air field near the town of Ryazan, 200 km east of Moscow. It said the crew member who survived the crash was in a satisfactory condition.
Television footage showed rescue workers attending to the smouldering helicopter lying on its side in the airfield after it fell and ignited upon contact.
“According to preliminary report of the hospitalized pilot of Mi-28N, when performing an aerobatic stunt, the emergency alert system of the helicopter reported the failure of the hydraulic boost system”, the Defense Ministry’s press service said in a statement.
Russia’s Air Force Commander-in-Chief Viktor Bondarev has ordered the grounding of all Mi-28 assault helicopters following the catastrophe in central Russian Federation, the Defense Minister reported.
Sunday’s aerobatics show was part of the global Army Games, competitions involving troops from Russian Federation and several other nations at shooting ranges across Russian Federation that began Saturday.
However, a series of military crashes in recent months has raised questions about safety standards.
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During the summer, two MiG-29 fighter jets crashed in unrelated accidents and a Su-34 bomber ran off the runway.
