Chernobyl Mi-8 Helicopter Crash

Mil Mi-8 Helicopter Crashes in Chernobyl Disaster

Mil Mi-8 helicopter sprays a decontamination liquid or glue over the roof of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant reactor in 1986. (Chernobyl, Ukraine, 1986).
Date	2 October 1986 (1986-10-02)
Time	5-6 A.M
Location	Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Pripyat, Chernobyl Raion, Kiev Oblast,Vyshhorod Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
Type	Chernobyl Disaster
Cause	The Mi-8 helicopter poured sand into the exposed core of reactor 4 at Chernobyl, but radiation glow from the sun's rays blinded the pilot's vision making the crane cables difficult to see, the helicopter's blades hit the cables, and then crashed.
Outcome	4 Deaths form the Cup-2
Deaths	4 Deaths form the Cup-2 crew of Mi-8 Incident crash. 1. Captain Vladimir K.Vorobyov (retired military pilot colonel), 2. Senior Lieutenant A. Y. Yundkind, 3. Senior Lieutenant L. I. Khristich, 4. First Ensign N. A. Ganzhukr

Mil Mi-8 Helicopter crash during the Chernobyl disaster response is often remembered for its tragic outcome.

History

Prior to the accident

Air Power and Response

In the aftermath of the reactor core fire, a vast amount of airborne radioactive contamination was released into the open air. The Soviet military responded by deploying a large fleet of Mil Mi-8 helicopters, which were tasked with dropping radiation-absorbing materials—composed of boron carbide, clay, dolomite, lead, and sand—onto the blazing reactor. Over 600 pilots undertook short, 20-minute flights in challenging conditions. Ultimately, more than 1,800 sorties were conducted, with many pilots exposed to extreme levels of radiation, far beyond the maximum readings of their dosimeters.

For nine days, helicopters continued to dump over 5,000 metric tons of absorbent onto the flames. Simultaneously, oil well drilling equipment was utilized to inject liquid nitrogen beneath the reactor, freezing the soil to prevent the core from sinking—a scenario feared to cause a “China syndrome” meltdown—and to stabilize the nuclear plant’s foundation.

On May 4, the fire was officially contained, though by then it had released a radioactive cloud that spread across parts of the USSR and Western Europe, equaling the radioactive output of the initial explosion.

Most of the helicopters involved in the operation became heavily irradiated, leading to their abandonment in massive junkyards, where they now decay in “machine cemeteries” within the 30-kilometer exclusion zone around Chernobyl—enduring like the radioactive isotopes that still linger in the region.

The Crash

On October 2, 1986, Mi-8 helicopter with Cup-2 crews involved in the cleanup efforts crashed into the area near Reactor 4, RBMK-1000 type. The helicopter was flying too close to the reactor to drop sand and boron onto the exposed core, which was still emitting significant radiation. Unfortunately, The sun blinded the eyes of the pilots and the helicopter’s rotor blades struck a crane that had been used in earlier construction work, causing the aircraft to lose control and crash.

The accident resulted in the deaths of all four crew members onboard. This crash highlighted the extreme risks faced by the emergency responders who were trying to contain the disaster, often with limited safety protocols and in highly radioactive conditions. The courage of these responders is widely commemorated today, as they faced severe risks to mitigate the environmental and health impacts of the nuclear disaster.

The Eyewitness

The Chernobyl Angels

From the memoirs of

• Major Vyacheslav Zheronkin (commander of an MI-8), as the eyewitness to the crash on board Mi-8 leaded by Captain Vladimir K. Vorobyov, a retired military pilot and colonel:

Another crew of the helicopter MI-8 before a flight to Chernobyl. (Historical collections of the Chernobyl accident)

“...The men were assembled from all over. Many of the helicopter pilots were veterans of Afghan. Some crews were called directly from their bases in Afghanistan to help manage the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Initially, we flew from Bagram to Ashgabat, thinking it was for leave, but then we were urgently rerouted to Kyiv. Landing in Zhulyany was prohibited to avoid alarming the public.”

Mil Mi-8

Mil Mi-8 are an helicopter produced by the Soviet Union and then produced by the Russian as helicopters that are commonly used in the conflict for launching unguided missiles at Ukrainian positions. They often attempt to maintain distance from enemy lines to avoid fire, but the vulnerability of flying at lower altitudes within range of such portable air-defense systems poses a significant risk. This is a versatile, medium-lift, twin-engine helicopter of Russian design, known for its classic build. It features a five-bladed main rotor and a three-bladed anti-torque tail rotor. In NATO, it is designated with the code name "HIP" and is one of the most widely used helicopters globally. Alongside the Mi-17, it is operated in 49 countries to this day. The Mi-8’s primary version is designed mainly for personnel transport, equipped with advanced navigation and information systems that enable safe flights day or night, even in severe weather conditions.The Mi-8S variant is outfitted with a specially modified interior for VIP transport, while the Mi-8PPA version is specifically designed for electronic warfare. Originally developed in the early 1950s as a successor to the Mi-4, the Mi-8 made its first flight on June 9, 1961. The prototype of the final twin-engine variant, known as the “HIP-B” by NATO, took its first flight on September 17, 1962.

Memorial

A memorial was constructed near the Chernobyl helipad. It incoptorates a helicopter blade that was ejected from the crash site. At the base of the memorial, a brass plaque lists the names of the four men who lost their lives.

Chernobyl, Ukraine 2 October 1986.

• Captain Vladimir K.Vorobyov (retired military pilot colonel),

• Senior Lieutenant A. Y. Yundkind,

• Senior Lieutenant L. I. Khristich,

• First Ensign N. A. Ganzhukr

The four crew members of the Mi-8 were posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Star, a decoration given to Soviet military personnel during peacetime for their role in ensuring public safety. A special committee, including representatives from the Soviet Committee for State Security, also known as the KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti ), was formed to investigate the cause of the accident. However, no report on the incident was ever made public.