Uzbekistan Air Force Mi-8 Crash

An Uzbekistan Air Force Mi-8 crashed at the Kattakurgan training range, in Samarkand region, at about 20:15 during a test flight. The defence ministry said the crew were killed but did not say how many people were aboard, and appointed a special commission to establish the cause. Kattakurgan is the largest military training area in the country. The Mi-8 is the backbone of Uzbek military rotary-wing aviation, flying transport, assault and training missions from a fleet inherited from the Soviet period and progressively refurbished since independence, with newer airframes acquired from Russia.