Helicopters practicing for an air show ‘bang’… Why are there military aircraft accidents in succession?

◀ Anchor ▶

Two military helicopters collided mid-air in Malaysia, killing all 10 people on board.

A disaster occurred while practicing for an aerial flight show commemorating the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Navy.

Recently, there has been a series of accidents involving military aircraft used in various commemorative ceremonies and air shows.

Reporter Seongcheol Yoon will report.

◀ Report ▶

Seven helicopters take off at the same time from the naval base in Pera State, northern Malaysia.

After a while, one helicopter gets closer to the other and crashes into the tail rotor.

The two helicopters lost their balance and spun around in the air, plummeting to the ground.

A man who was watching this from the ground was distraught as the helicopter flew toward him.

In this accident, all 10 people on board the two helicopters died on the spot.

This disaster occurred while practicing an aerial division ceremony to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Navy.

[모하메드 칼레드 노르딘/말레이시아 국방부 장관]
“On behalf of the Ministry of Defense, I would like to convey our deepest condolences over the crash of two Malaysian Navy helicopters during a rehearsal for the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Navy.”

The King of Malaysia expressed his condolences for the loss of heroes and ordered an immediate investigation into the accident.

This is not the only case of an accident involving a military aircraft mobilized for show rather than combat.

Last year in Italy, a fighter jet undergoing air show training exploded after hitting a private house.

The pilot succeeded in an emergency evacuation just before the accident, but a 5-year-old girl died and her family was seriously injured.

In 2022, in Dallas, USA, World War II military aircraft collided during an air show, killing six people.

Experts say that excessive aerial maneuvers to provide enjoyment to visitors are the cause of the accident.

They also point out that the practice of forcefully using poorly maintained surplus aircraft for shows is also a problem.

This is Seongcheol Yoon from MBC News.

Video Editing: Park Cheon-gyu

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