Narrative:The Let L-410UVP, 9L-LBN, departed Freetown's Lungi Airport on a short repositioning flight to Hastings Airport.
The aircraft entered clouds as it was climbing through 500 feet. When exiting the cloud, the flight crew noticed a Mil Mi-8T helicopter nearby. They attempted to avoid a collision, but the Mi-8's main rotors cut into the L-410's tail, causing substantial damage. Both aircraft were able to land safely.
The Mi-8 (RA-22248) was operated by Nefteyugansk Air Enterprise on behalf of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
It was established that the crew of the Mi-8T helicopter did not pay attention to the radio communication between the controller and the crew of the L-410 aircraft. The crew of the Mi-8T helicopter was distracted because they were talking about the barge that sank on the coast. This barge was located on the left side of the helicopter, while Lungi Airport and the Let L-410 were on the right side.
Classification:
Mid air collision
Forced landing on runway
Sources:
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Photo of damaged aircraft at Airliners.net» Air International February 2001, p78
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Soviet Transports
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Freetown-Lungi International Airport to Freetown-Hastings Airport as the crow flies is 25 km (16 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.