ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 200578
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| Date: | Thursday 26 October 2017 |
| Time: | 15:08 LT |
| Type: |  Mil Mi-8AMT |
| Owner/operator: | Convers Avia |
| Registration: | RA-22312 |
| MSN: | 171C00643116106U |
| Year of manufacture: | 2013 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Isfjorden, N of Cap Heer, Barentsburg, Svalbard -
 Norway
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Pyramiden |
| Heerodden, Barentsburg | |
| Investigating agency: | AIBN |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The Mi-8 helicopter with flight number CVS312, a flight for the Trust Arktikugol mining company, was en route from Pyramiden to Cape Heer with eight people on board. The helicopter was last in contact with AFIS at Svalbard Airport Longyearbyen at 15:06 local time when asked to contact "Barentsburg" landing site. Shortly afterwards, the helicopter was reported missing. The helicopter was found at a depth of 209 meters approx. 2 km outside Heerodden. One deceased person was found on the seabed about 150 meters from the helicopter wreck. The other seven were not found, even after extensive searches along major parts of the coastline in Isfjorden.
Investigation into the accident indicates that the accident was caused by loss of visual references during the last part of the approach to the Russian helicopter base at Heerodden. There were varying visibility conditions, and visibility conditions were reported well below the minima established for approach. Despite this, the pilots continued their approach and lost visual references and crashed. All the occupants had evacuated the helicopter. None of them wore neither life jackets nor survival suits. It can be assumed that after a few minutes they became so cold that they could not stay on the surface due to air and water temperature and sea state.
The helicopter was equipped with neither life raft nor emergency float equipment. It was quickly filled with water due to damage caused by the impact, and probably tipped around quickly before it sank.
The investigation has not revealed any technical problems on the helicopter that could explain the cause of the incident.
The investigation has revealed that there are no defined requirements in Norwegian regulations, which is also applicable to Svalbard, for emergency equipment in multi-engine helicopters that operates in high risk areas. The AIBN believes that emergency equipment requirements should be defined for multi-engine helicopters flying in such locations.
Convers Avia’s helicopter operations in Svalbard were based on visual flight conditions (VMC) and visual flight rules (VFR). With the rapidly climatic changes that are on Svalbard, the AIBN believes that helicopter operations in the polar night should be performed by pilots with instrument ratings in helicopters with suitable instrumentation (IFR).
The investigation also revealed conditions at the Convers Avia's base at Heerodden which indicate that the company's standards were not systematically complied with. The AIBN believes that Russian aviation authorities and the helicopter company must follow up the organization in Svalbard to ensure compliance with government regulations and company requirements.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://svalbardposten.no/nyheter/russisk-helikopter-styrtet/19.9030 (picture in article may not be the actual one)
https://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/russisk-helikopter-har-styrtet-utenfor-barentsburg/a/24172799/
http://tass.ru/proisshestviya/4680254
https://minenergo.gov.ru/node/9663
https://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/luftfart/russisk-helikopter-har-styrtet-utenfor-barentsburg/a/24172799/
http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/russian-helicopter-crashes-off-arctic-archipelago
http://tass.com/world/973085
https://www.hovedredningssentralen.no/missing-russian-helicopter-found/
https://www.thelocal.no/20171029/russian-helicopter-missing-in-arctic-found-on-seabed-eight-presumed-dead-rescuers
http://video.ap.org/Missing-Russian-helicopter-found-in-Norways-Arctic-sea-33181575
https://www.sysselmannen.no/en/News/2017/10/one-deceased-located-after-helicopter-accident/
http://tass.com/world/974213
http://tass.ru/proisshestviya/4717999
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/mi8-loci-offshore-svalbard/
__________________________________
http://www.helicopter-database.de/open.photo.php?idphoto=10266
https://www.aibn.no/Aviation/Undersokelser/17-908
https://www.aibn.no/About-us/News-archive/Helicopter-accident-near-Barentsburg-The-AIBN-boards-recovery-vessel
https://www.aibn.no/Aviation/Published-reports/2020-04-eng
Media:
Norwegian rescuers lift fuselage of crashed russian helicopter Mil-MI8 - "No bodies were inside" - https://t.co/QaWa7XfANu pic.twitter.com/DCKvsIoyVl
— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) 4 novembre 2017
While on a VFR approach below minima to a Svalbard mine site there was a loss of visual reference and a LOC-I. The #helicopter impacted the water. Unequipped for sea survival all 8 POB died in 2°C waters.https://t.co/fhzGPNOksP#flightsafety #aviationsafety #survivability pic.twitter.com/Zj2vxDzcrm
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) August 22, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Oct-2017 14:48 | asyl | Added |
| 26-Oct-2017 15:14 | asyl | Updated [Source] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:07 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:11 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:16 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:24 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:26 | Inuki | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:34 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:41 | asyl | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2017 16:42 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Damage] |
| 26-Oct-2017 19:52 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Oct-2017 18:18 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Oct-2017 07:45 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Oct-2017 09:56 | asyl | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Oct-2017 10:16 | gerard57 | Updated [Damage] |
| 29-Oct-2017 10:55 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Oct-2017 18:06 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Oct-2017 19:54 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Oct-2017 14:30 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Oct-2017 20:09 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Nov-2017 11:47 | asyl | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Nov-2017 11:48 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 04-Nov-2017 11:58 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 10-Nov-2017 10:49 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2017 15:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Feb-2020 23:45 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 22-Aug-2020 15:04 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 22-Aug-2020 15:06 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Embed code] |
| 11-Sep-2020 16:48 | harro | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, Accident report, ] |
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