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Russian Military Helicopter Crash Kills One

May 28, 2013

Russia's Defense Ministry says that a military helicopter has crashed during a training mission, killing one crew member and injuring the other two.

The ministry said the Mi-8 helicopter crashed on May 28 near the village of Ivanovskoye in Saratov region on the Volga River in southwestern Russia.

The ministry said an instructor and a trainee were injured after they managed to jump out of the helicopter before it hit the ground, but the flight engineer was killed.

The commander of Russia's Air Force, General Viktor Bondarev, ordered all Mi-8 helicopters grounded pending a crash probe.

The Mi-8 is a helicopter used by military and civilian operators in former Soviet states.

Mi-8 crashes in the past often were blamed on poor maintenance and disregard for safety rules.

Based on reporting by AP and ITAR-TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/helicopter-crash-russia-military/24999714.html

Copyright (c) 2013. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.