PAF Huey May Have Hit Power Lines, Mil-8 Down In Chechnya

The downings of two military helicopters -- one in Russia, the other in the Philippines -- claimed 26 lives Saturday.

In Russia, a Mil-8 carrying Special Forces troops into battle against rebels in Chechnya crashed under suspicious circumstances.

Initial reports stated rebel fire brought the helo down, but Russian officials later said mechanical failure appeared to be the cause. Russia's RIA Novosti said 15 troops and three crew members were lost in the crash.

Officials haven't said what caused a Philippine Air Force UH-1H Huey to impact a busy street in the city of Lapu-Lapu, on the island of Mactan. Witnesses say the helicopter was flying low, and clipped power lines.

DZBB radio reports one airman was killed in the crash, and seven people on the ground lost their lives when the helicopter's rotor blades impacted two motorcycle taxis.

Three other airmen onboard the helo, which was reportedly on a training flight, were injured.

The Philippine military has more than 30 Vietnam War-era Hueys in its fleet.

Saturday's crash was the worst Huey accident since the April 2005 weather-related downing of a PAF Huey in the northern Philippines, an accident that claimed nine lives.

FMI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Air_Force, www.paf.mil.ph/