Pilot killed in Mi-28N helicopter crash in central Russia

Xinhua

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A Mi-28N helicopter crashed while preforming a demonstration flight Sunday at the Dubrovichi testing range in central Russia's Ryazan Region, killing one of the two pilots.

The other pilot, who catapulted from the gunship, has been sent to hospital and was in stable condition, according to the media center of the airshow.

It added that there were no injuries to ground personnel, and the audience has been evacuated.

The demonstration flight was immediately suspended after the accident.

TASS news agency quoted Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Viktor Bondarev as saying that the crash was caused by a hydraulic system failure.

A team of experts were busy scouring for the helicopter's flight recorder at the crash site to find more details about the cause.

In addition, Bondarev has ordered to temporarily suspend all Mi-28 helicopter flights.

Since June, at least four Russian warplanes have crashed, including two MiG-29 and one Su-24 jet fighters and one Tu-95 strategic bomber. Enditem