Pilot error?
The Robinson R44 helicopter, traveling along the route Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk – Chekhov Peak – Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, stopped communicating around 10:00 Moscow time. Emergency services confirmed three people were on board.
A Telegram channel linked to the Far East Transport Prosecutor General’s Office reported that an investigation into the incident has been launched.
According to preliminary data, the wreckage was found during the search and rescue operation. The helicopter reportedly belonged to a private entrepreneur.
A source in the emergency services told TASS that the hard landing may have been caused by pilot error, with the helicopter hitting a rock.
The emergency service received a notice from the Sakhalin regional search and rescue coordination center about an emergency landing of a Robinson R44 in the northeast of Krasnaya Mountain. The press service of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations stated that a rescue team on snowmobiles was dispatched, and a Mi-8 helicopter was placed on standby for deployment.
Telegram channels connected with the Sakhalin regional government reported that an operational headquarters was established under the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The helicopter landed in the northeast part of Krasnaya Mountain. Three people were on board, including the captain and two passengers. One passenger was evacuated from the scene and was expected to be transported to a medical facility. The passenger’s condition was described as moderate.
Local officials noted that rescue teams recovered the pilot’s body from the wreckage.
Shortly after the crash was reported, Telegram channels claimed that all passengers survived. Reports from channels such as Shot suggested there were four passengers and a pilot, with three people surviving but in serious condition and two still missing. These reports were not verified.
According to RIA Novosti, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for violations of traffic safety rules and aircraft operation.
survivor
Telegram channel 112 reported that a pilot and a passenger died in the Sakhalin helicopter crash. A woman and her husband were traveling by plane; the husband survived, while the wife did not. The couple has a child who stayed at a local hotel with a nanny, while the 4-year-old remained with other arrangements.
Diagnostic studies began at a district clinical hospital for the man born after the helicopter crash. His condition is described as moderate, with a full medical evaluation planned to determine the exact diagnosis and treatment plan.
A TASS source indicated that the survivor was evacuated from the crash site to a hospital via another Robinson helicopter.
The head of the traumatology department at the Sakhalin hospital told REN TV that the injured passenger was a distant visitor from the Khabarovsk Territory. He is conscious and able to communicate, with a moderate condition. At first, more victims were reported, but only one was ultimately transported to the hospital.
Doctors later noted a neck injury and said surgery might be required depending on the evolving assessment.
Robinson crashed in Russia
Over the past year, Robinson helicopters have repeatedly faced emergencies or crashes. On July 2, 2022, a private Robinson helicopter made a hard landing in Khakassia. The pilot was unharmed. Emergency services said the landing was difficult because the helicopter touched water during descent.
On July 9 of the same year, a Robinson helicopter crashed in the Lyuberetsky district of the Moscow region. Three people were aboard and survived. A technical malfunction caused an emergency landing in a forest belt near the Lytkarinsky Highway.
July 16 saw another Robinson crash in Kamchatka. Biathlete Igor Malinovsky piloted the craft, carrying two passengers from Milkovo through the Geysers Valley toward the Uzon caldera. The wreckage was found on July 17 near the Bolshoy Semyachik volcanic massif; the helicopter crashed and burned with no survivors.
On November 8, 2022, two private Robinson R44 helicopters vanished in the Krasnoyarsk Territory but later landed safely. On November 27, 2022, a private Robinson R66 crashed near Tver, resulting in the death of the pilot and a passenger.