Investigators of the regional directorate of Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) located in Khmelnytsky are investigating possible violations of flight rules involving the Mi-8 helicopter of the Ground Forces of Ukraine that crashed in Rivne region killing all four crew members.
“The procedural direction in the pretrial investigation is carried out by the military prosecutor’s office of the Rivne Garrison … SBI investigators are working at the scene of the accident to clarify the circumstances of the crash. Criminal proceedings are being investigated under Article 416 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (violation of flight rules),” the SBI’s press service said on Thursday.
According to preliminary information, servicemen from military unit A2595 of the 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine headquartered in Brody, Lviv region) were conducting planned “day-night” flight training exercises. During a flight near Sestriatyn in Rivne region’s Radyvyliv district, about three kilometers from Sestriatyn, the helicopter crashed for unknown reasons.
Commander of the 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade Ihor Mazepa, pilot-navigator Senior Lieutenant Vladyslav Popenko, onboard aviation technician-instructor Captain Vasyl Romaniuk and onboard aviation technician Senior Lieutenant Pavlo Datsiuk were killed in the crash.
Article 416 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (violation of the rules of flights or preparation for them, as well as violation of the rules for the operation of aircraft, resulting in a catastrophe or other serious consequences) is punishable by imprisonment for a term from five to 15 years.
