BISHKEK, January 17. /TASS/. A Mi-8 military helicopter has crashed in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, with one person reported killed in the incident.
"At 10:55 a.m. local time (4:55 a.m. GMT - TASS), a military Mi-8 helicopter fell at the Frunze-1 air base," the Kabar news agency reported, quoting a statement by Kyrgyzstan’s aviation agency.
In turn, Vesti.kg reported that, according to preliminary data, one person was killed and seven others were injured in the crash, which occurred during a routine training flight.
The Mi-8 is a well-known Soviet and Russian model of helicopter, and one of the most mass-produced helicopters in the world. The basic model was developed at the Mikhail Mil design bureau in the early 1960s. Since then, more than 130 civilian and military modifications have been developed. The Mi-8 has the following flight specifications: maximum speed of 240 kilometers per hour; maximum flying height of 6,000 m; maximum takeoff weight of 13,000 kilograms; maximum flight range with main fuel tanks of 620 km; passenger capacity of up to 26 people; and crew of three people. More than 12,000 Mi-8 helicopters have been produced, and at various times Mi-8 helicopters have been sold to more than 100 countries around the world.