R44 Went Down When Inebriated Pilot Allowed Drunk Passenger To Take The Controls

A helicopter accident in Russia involving a Robinson R44 helicopter was caused by a drunk pilot allowing a passenger who was also inebriated to take the controls of the aircraft, according to an official inquiry.

The accident occurred December 8th, 2012, according to a report in the U.K. newspaper The Mail, which relayed information from Russia's Zee News. Port-mortem examination of the pilot's blood showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.9 per mil, according to the report. The passengers tested at 1.6 and 2.2 per mil.

The report from the Interstate Aviation Committee says that the pilot's body was found in the left front seat of the aircraft, which would suggest that the R-44 was being flown by the passenger. The committee also said that the pilot had used forged documents to obtain his license fraudulently. Neither person sitting in the front seats of the aircraft were reportedly qualified to operate it at night or in poor weather.

The aircraft went down northwest of Moscow near the town of Solnechnogorsk on December 8th in the afternoon. It reportedly hit some trees and spun out of control. The impact resulted in the fatal injury of all three people on board.

(R44 image from file)

FMI: www.mak.ru/english/english.html