Five State Emergency Service Officials Declared Suspects in Brovary Helicopter Crash Investigation

Five officials from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine have been declared suspects in the case of the plane crash in Brovary on January 18 of this year, which resulted in the deaths of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.

Five individuals have been placed under suspicion, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) said on Thursday, Aug 3, which identified their job titles but did not release their names:

·      The Head of the Department of Aviation and Aviation Search and Rescue of the State Emergency Service.

·      The Acting Unit Commander.

·      The Deputy Commander for Flight Training.

·      The Commander of the Aviation Squadron.

·      The Head of the Flight Safety Service of the Special Aviation Detachment of the operational rescue service of the Civil Protection Service of the State Emergency Service from the city of Nizhyn, Chernihiv Region.

 The investigation alleges that these officials violated traffic safety and air transport operation regulations, leading to loss of life.

The Head of the Flight Safety Service has been charged with suspicion under Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official negligence). Other officials have been informed of suspected violations of flight safety rules resulting in loss of life and substantial material damage (according to Part 3 of Article 276 of the Criminal Code). 

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Events of the day of the accident

DBR investigators meticulously reconstructed the events of the accident day, including the analysis of the "black boxes".

In January, the Ministry of Internal Affairs leadership had planned a visit to the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Despite warnings and requests, State Emergency Service officials provided a helicopter on standby for potential emergency responses in Kyiv and the region. This aircraft lacked the necessary permits for other types of flights.

Throughout the flight, the crew commander was not informed about worsening weather conditions along the route, particularly in Brovary. The crew lacked appropriate permits for flying in adverse weather conditions and did not possess necessary certificates. However, State Emergency Service officials did not cancel or delay the flight for more favorable conditions.

Due to challenging weather, the helicopter was forced to descend to an extremely low altitude - even below the height of buildings along the route.

Upon encountering a multi-story building, the crew commander initiated a fly-by maneuver, but abruptly ascended, losing spatial orientation. During the execution of the maneuver, due to insufficient skills, the helicopter collided with the ground.

The crash caused damage to a nearby kindergarten, adjacent buildings, and parked cars.

Onboard were members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs leadership: Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denys Monastyrsky, his First Deputy Yevgeniy Yenin, State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lubkovich, and their assistants. Tragically, all passengers and the rotorcraft crew lost their lives.

Additionally, five residents of Brovary, who were in the vicinity of the kindergarten at the time of the accident, also lost their lives.

Earlier Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has ruled out sabotage as the cause of the helicopter crash.