Polar Airlines Flight 9949

Polar Airlines Flight 9949
An Mi-8 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date2 July 2013 (2013-07-02)
SummaryControlled Flight into Terrain due to pilot error
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeMil Mi-8
OperatorPolar Airlines
RegistrationRA-22657
Occupants28
Passengers25
Crew3
Fatalities24
Injuries4
Survivors4

On 2 July 2013, Polar Airlines Flight 9949, a Mil Mi-8 helicopter operated by Polar Airlines crashed near Deputatsky, an urban locality of Ust-Yansky District in the Sakha Republic, Russia, with 25 passengers (including 11 children) and three crew members on board. According to a Ministry of Emergency Situations spokesman, 24 people died in the crash; the three crew members and a child survived. Early reports suggested that the pilot lost control of the helicopter due to strong winds. The crash was investigated by the Interstate Aviation Committee.