On 7 April 2013, a

Mil Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union, Soviet Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) in the 1960s and introduced into the ...

helicopter operated by Helicópteros del Pacífico (Helipac) broke up in flight and crashed en route from

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province, Peru, Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the List of cities in Peru, ninth-most populous city in Peru ...

to a

Perenco Perenco is an independent Anglo-French oil and gas petroleum company, company with a headquarters in London and Paris.Pere ...

site near the

Curaray River The Curaray River (also called the Ewenguno River or Rio Curaray) is a river in eastern Ecuador and Peru. It is a tributary of the Napo River, which is part of the Amazon basin. The land along the river is home to several indigenous people groups ...

, in the

Loreto Region Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department, slightly smaller than Japan; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to ...

of Peru. All 13 people on board were killed. The occupants, all Peruvian nationals, were nine passengers and four crew. Among the passengers were Perenco workers and other contractors.

Investigation

The accident investigation by the Peruvian Comisión De Investigación De Accidentes De Aviación (''Aviation Accidents Investigation Commission'') established that while the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of , a luggage net that was improperly placed in a rear fuselage compartment became entangled with the

tail rotor The tail rotor is a smaller rotor mounted vertically or near-vertically at the tail of a traditional single-rotor helicopter, where it rotates to generate a propeller-like horizontal thrust in the same direction as the main rotor's rotation. ...

's transmission shaft and control cables, causing the cables to snap and resulting in a total loss of directional control. The crew then attempted an emergency landing by performing an

autorotation Autorotation is a state of flight in which the main rotor system of a helicopter or other rotary-wing aircraft turns by the action of air moving up through the rotor, as with an autogyro, rather than engine power driving the rotor. Bensen, Igor ...

, but likely over-control by the pilot while flaring over densely forested terrain resulted in the main rotor's blades striking the tail boom, severing it from the fuselage. The aircraft then crashed to the ground out of control.
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References

External links

Accident description
at the

Aviation Safety Network The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is a non-profit, international organization concerning research, education, advocacy, and communications in the field of aviation safety. FSF brings together aviation professionals to help solve safety problems ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helicopteros del Pacifico Mil Mi-8 crash Aviation accidents and incidents in 2013 Accidents and incidents involving the Mil Mi-8 Aviation accidents and incidents in Peru 2013 in Peru April 2013 in South America 2013 disasters in Peru