Plane crash that killed Internal Ministry leadership: State Bureau of Investigation deciphers black boxes, serves notices of suspicion
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has served notices of suspicion on the officials of the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine whose actions caused the plane crash on 18 January 2023 which killed the top leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Source: SBI press service, Office of the Prosecutor General
Quote: "SBI employees have served notices of suspicion on five officials of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. They violated flight safety rules for a helicopter carrying the top officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. The aircraft crashed on 18 January 2023 in Brovary."
Details: The following persons were served with notices of suspicion:
- the head of the State Search and Rescue Aviation Service of the SES of Ukraine;
- the acting commander of the unit;
- the deputy commander for flight training;
- the commander of the aircraft squadron;
- the head of the Flight Security Service of the Special Aviation Unit and Operational Rescue Service of the SES of Ukraine based in the city of Nizhyn, Chernihiv Oblast.
The investigation established that the officials committed flagrant violations of air traffic safety rules and air transport operation rules, which led to the deaths.
It is noted that SBI investigators reconstructed the day of the accident minute by minute, including deciphering the black boxes.
In January 2023, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine was scheduled to visit Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
Despite internal instructions and legal requirements, the State Emergency Service officials used a helicopter that was on duty to respond to potential emergency situations in Kyiv Oblast to transport the delegation.
The SBI says the aircraft had no permits for other types of flights.
During the preparation for the flight, the crew commander was not informed of the meteorological situation along the entire flight path planned, and in particular of the highly unfavourable weather conditions over the city of Brovary.
The crew itself did not have the proper permits to fly in challenging weather conditions nor the necessary certificates. However, none of the officials responsible for flight safety called off the flight or postponed it until there were favourable weather conditions.
Severe weather conditions forced the helicopter to fly at an extremely low altitude, even lower than the height of the buildings along the route.
The crew commander saw an obstacle – a high-rise building – and initiated a circling manoeuvre, but he rose sharply, lost his orientation in space and, lacking the necessary skills, collided with the ground at the end of the manoeuvre.
The crash damaged a kindergarten, nearby buildings and parked vehicles.
In addition to the senior officials of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, four women and a child were killed in the crash while on their way to the kindergarten. A total of 31 people, including 13 children, sustained injuries of varying severity.
Officials from the SES Aviation Department and the Special Aviation Unit and Operational Rescue Service were served with notices of suspicion for violating flight safety rules (air traffic safety), leading to deaths and extensive material damage.
The same Flight Security Service unit’s commander was served with a notice of suspicion under Article 367.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (negligence).
He faces up to 10 years of imprisonment.
The issue of preventive measures is currently under consideration.
Background:
- On the morning of 18 January, a helicopter crashed near a kindergarten in Brovary in Kyiv Oblast, causing a fire to break out.
- The helicopter crash killed the top leadership of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs: Denys Monastyrskyi, Minister of Internal Affairs; Yevhen Yenin; First Deputy Interior Minister, and Yurii Lubkovych, State Secretary of the Interior Ministry are among those killed. There were 14 victims in total, including a child.
- Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the President’s Office, has said that the helicopter crash in Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, occurred during a flight by Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi to one of Ukraine’s hotspots where fighting is ongoing.
- The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has started an investigation into the helicopter crash in Brovary. Among the main avenues of investigation are the following: violation of flight rules, technical malfunction and intentional actions.
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