[46399] Emergency landing of a helicopter in Komi: 11 injured and criminal investigation launched

Emergency landing of a helicopter in Komi: 11 injured and criminal investigation launched

On May 1, 2026, a Mi-8T passenger helicopter belonging to the airline "Yeltsovka" (Ельцовка) made an emergency landing and tipped onto its side during an attempted takeoff in the city of Usinsk in northern Russia. According to reports from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) and channels like Mash, there were 24 people on board the helicopter, which was en route to the Nenets Autonomous Okrug: 21 contract workers (vakhtoviks) and three crew members.

The number of casualties rose gradually over the last day, as Soloviev Channel (SolovievLive) reported that the number of injured reached 11. According to the TASS news agency and the local Ministry of Health, two of the injured are suffering from moderate injuries, while eight others have lighter injuries. Rescue forces and four medical teams arrived at the scene to evacuate the victims to the Usinsk district hospital.

The Investigative Committee of Russia (Sledcom) announced the opening of criminal proceedings for "violation of safety rules and the operation of an aircraft." At the same time, law enforcement sources were quoted by TASS agency as pointing to a "human factor" as the primary cause of the event, noting that the pilot failed to control the aircraft. While many of the Russian state media outlets emphasized that there were no fatalities, opposition channels such as Informatsionnoye Soprotivleniye described the incident as another case of a "negative landing" within a series of aerial failures in Russia.

The helicopter itself sustained heavy damage, including the loss of propellers and severe damage to the tail of the aircraft. Aviation authorities, including Rosaviatsia, officially classified the event as an aviation accident and began a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the technical and procedural failure.