SBI completes investigation into helicopter crash in Brovary involving interior minister

The State Bureau of Investigation announced that it has completed the probe into the helicopter crash that occurred on January 18 in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary. That day, the then leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, led by Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, died.

In August, charges in this case were filed against:

→ head of the Department of Aviation and Aviation Search and Rescue of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine;
→ acting commander of a special aviation unit;
→ deputy commander for flight training;
→ aviation squadron commander;
→ 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 of Ukraine from the town of Nizhyn, Chernihiv Oblat.

The investigation established that the officials committed flagrant violations of traffic safety rules and the operation of air transport, which led to the death of people.

"Despite the caveat of internal instructions and legal requirements, State Emergency Service officials used a helicopter to transport the delegation, which was on duty to respond to potential emergency situations in Kyiv and the region. The aircraft did not have permits for other types of flights," the SBI notes.

The bureau claims that during the preparation of the flight, the crew commander was not informed about inclemencies over Brovary, and the crew itself did not have appropriate permits to fly in difficult weather conditions.

Despite this, the trip was not cancelled, the SBI writes.

Due to difficult weather conditions, the helicopter was forced to fly at an extremely low altitude, which is even lower than the height of the buildings on the route. The crew commander saw the high-rise building and tried to fly around it, but it ascended sharply, lost orientation in space and collided with the ground during the completion of the maneuver, the bureau added.

Scheme of the fall of the helicopter.

On the morning of January 18, 2023, during a helicopter accident in Brovary, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Denys Monastyrskyi, and other top officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs died. In total, 14 people died, including one child, and 31 people were injured, including 13 children.

Yesterday, five officials of the State Emergency Service were charged for their actions on January 18, 2023 that led to the helicopter crash in which the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was killed.