Gas company helicopter crash kills 19
A Ukrainian official says a Mi-8 helicopter has crashed into the Black Sea killing 19 people. A spokesman for state gas company Naftogaz spokesman says the company copter went down around 0630 GMT as it was trying to land. Valentyn Zemlyansky says one person survived Monday's crash. The ITAR-Tass news agency reported the passengers were employees of the gas company headed for an offshore drilling rig. The Mi-8 is a workhorse helicopter used widely in civilian aviation and the military in the former Soviet Union. Crashes occur frequently that are often blamed on poor maintenance and excessive age. Last month, 12 people were killed when a Ukrainian border guards helicopter crashed into the Black Sea. |
