On August 25, 2012, on the busy Yekaterinburg-Kurgan highway, one of the drivers filmed an exclusive video, which, after appearing on the Internet and on television screens, shocked many viewers. A Russian helicopter of the famous Mi-8 brand flew very low over the highway, almost hitting the cars passing below. Law enforcement agencies are interested in the incident and are trying to find an unknown ace.
Drivers of ground transport, passing in August 2012 on a bypass road near the city of Kamensk-Uralsky, Sverdlovsk region, believe that they managed to avoid a major traffic accident only by a miracle. The helicopter flew about three meters above the asphalt, almost hitting cars.
Many heard an incomprehensible noise and could provoke an accident from fright when they unexpectedly saw an aircraft over the roof of the car. Some participants in the shocking event told reporters that they were extremely intrigued by the low-level flight of the Mi-8 - they watched it and did not follow the road.
After the appearance of the exclusive video in the Internet space and on central federal channels, not only eyewitnesses, but also representatives of the prosecutor's office became interested in the hooligan helicopter. The Ural Flight Safety Inspectorate has not yet been able to provide information about the owner of the helicopter, but about its pilot. It is not even known whether the aircraft was a civilian or military vehicle.
The Ural Transport Prosecutor's Office emphasizes that the violation by the Mi-8 pilot of the aircraft control rules is obvious. As representatives of the traffic police comment, the situation on the road was extremely dangerous: if there was a high truck under the helicopter, an accident would be inevitable.
The law enforcement authorities assumed that the sought helicopter belonged to military unit No. 45123. It is located near the city of Kamensk-Uralsk, next to which the ill-fated highway passed. Locals often see pilots from this unit fly very low above the ground. It was not ruled out that the Mi-8 belonged to the Koltsovo airport (Ekaterinburg) or the Ministry of Emergencies. However, the information has not been officially confirmed.
The clarification of the origin of the helicopter was undertaken by the airspace use department of the Ural Directorate of the Federal Air Transport Agency. It is reported by "Interfax". The head of the flight safety inspectorate, Andrei Golubenko, believes that a military helicopter could have undergone combat training in the Sverdlovsk region - it involves flying at an extremely low altitude. For a training flight, a route could have been specially laid out precisely through this roadbed.
After the appearance of the video from the Mi-8, the media wrote that the pilot was threatened with removal from aircraft control or administrative punishment. However, a representative of "Rosaviatsia" in an interview with the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda" said that even a civilian helicopter "can fly at any height" without special assignments - no punishment for the pilot will follow. According to him, many drivers were just "delighted" with the low-shaving flight of the Mi-8, and the scandalous video did not show any violations.
