Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder,Agency: Central European News
Video Credit: CEN/@severpress
This footage shows a helicopter in the middle of a motorway after the pilots were forced to carry out an emergency landing on the road in a blizzard as they had run out of petrol.
The pilots of the Mil Mi-8, twin-turbine, helicopter were forced to carry out the emergency landing on the motorway near the village of Yamburg in the Yamolo Nenets Autonomous Okrug in northern Russia.
Local media report 15 employees working on the Gyda Peninsula, rich in natural gas, and three crew members were on-board the helicopter when the pilots ran low on fuel, and then revealed they needed to carry out an emergency landing.
The pilots reportedly managed to land the aircraft on the motorway after five failed attempts. An unnamed passenger said: “We landed directly on a motorway. The wind was blowing us away, we couldn’t see anything.”
Another unidentified passenger said: “The pilots couldn’t land five times, everyone on board was super nervous.”
The helicopter’s petrol tanks were reportedly close to being empty when the pilots finally landed.
In the footage the helicopter can be seen on the motorway buffeted by strong winds and snow.
Just half an hour later after the emergency landing, the helicopter had been refuelled and then proceeded to the village of Korotchaevo in Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug where it had initially been headed to.
Local media report local officials have started an investigation into the matter.
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