BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov. 30
Trend:
Capacity of crashed military helicopter of Azerbaijan's State Border Service was 24 people, told Trend military expert Adalyat Verdiev.
A military helicopter of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan crashed today at about 10:40 am during training flights at the Garaheybat airfield in the Khizi region. As a result, the crash killed 14 people, two people were injured.
The Prosecutor General's Office is currently investigating the incident. Helicopter black box has been found and witness' statements were taken.
Military expert Adalyat Verdiev said the crashed MI-17 helicopter is quite reliable. These helicopters have proven themselves during the Second Karabakh War.
"Nobody is immune from such accidents. There can be different influencing factors. The cause of the accident may be equipment malfunction, human factor," added Verdiyev.
The expert said it was wrong to write or share inaccurate information on social media without facts.
"It is better to wait for the results of the investigation. The true causes of the accident will be revealed after the testimony of the surviving pilots is taken and the thrush is read. Of course, if there is a culprit, he will be punished," the expert added.
Verdiyev stressed that the helicopter can carry 24 people, there were a total of 16 people, which did not exceed the standards. This helicopter can accommodate 24 people and can carry more than 4 tons of cargo.
“It is impossible for the helicopter to have been shot down, because during the crash there was no helicopter fire. If it had been shot down in the sky, the fragments would have scattered over a wider area,"the expert said.
The head of the State Border Service (SBS), Colonel-General Elchin Guliyev, in connection with the helicopter crash that took place today, said that there can be no question of any outside influence as the cause of the helicopter crash.
According to him, while the specific reasons for the incident are unknown.
"According to preliminary data, the pilot Fizuli Javadov had a lot of experience. He took part in the First Karabakh war. The helicopter was new, recently repairs were carried out.
At the moment, the black box is in the Prosecutor General's Office, an investigation will be carried out and the cause of the incident will be found out, "Guliyev said.