Russian helicopter breaks apart, catches fire mid-air before crashing in Dagestan; five killed | Watch

Russian helicopter snaps in two before crashing in Dagestan, 5 killed

A Russian Ka-226 helicopter carrying senior officials from a defence-linked aviation firm crashed near Achi-Su village in Dagestan, killing at least five people, officials and state media reported.

The helicopter, operated by the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ), a key supplier of systems for Russian military aircraft, was flying from Kizlyar to Izberbash when it caught fire mid-air and attempted an emergency landing.

❗️The moment of yesterday's Ka-226 helicopter crash in 🇷🇺Dagestan with employees of the military plant "Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant" The accident killed the deputy general director, chief engineer and chief designer pic.twitter.com/JVVKEWc43E

— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) November 8, 2025

Witnesses told local media that the pilot tried to bring the helicopter down on a beach along the Caspian Sea, but it ultimately crashed into the yard of a private house in the Karabudakhkent district. Footage circulating on social media showed the aircraft’s tail breaking off before it plunged to the ground.

“All three passengers and the pilot were pulled from the wreckage but later died from their injuries,” Dagestan’s Health Minister Yaroslav Glazov confirmed. Two other people were hospitalised, one in critical condition.

Victims were senior defence officials

The victims included top personnel from KEMZ, the company’s deputy general director, chief engineer, and chief designer, along with the helicopter’s flight mechanic, according to Russian media. Initial reports had suggested that tourists were onboard, but KEMZ later confirmed that its employees were among the dead.

The helicopter, registered as RA-19307, was classified as a “disaster” by Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), which has launched an official investigation into the cause of the crash.

KEMZ, based in Dagestan, is an important player in Russia’s defence manufacturing sector, producing ground control and suspension systems for Sukhoi and MiG fighter jets, as well as units for deploying precision-guided missiles such as the Kh-29 and X-31. The company has been under US sanctions for supplying equipment used in Russia’s military operations against Ukraine.

In 2024, KEMZ partnered with Tekhmet to unveil a self-propelled anti-aircraft system built on the Taifun-VDV armoured vehicle platform.