On January 28, 1992, Azerbaijani transport helicopter Mil Mi-8 was shot down near the town of Shusha by a heat-seeking missile fired by Armenian separatist forces.[1]

1992 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown

An Mil Mi-8 similar to the accident helicopter
Accident
Date	28 January 1992
Summary	Shootdown
Site	near Shusha, Nagorno-Karabakh
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Mil Mi-8
Operator	Azerbaijani Air Force
Flight origin	Aghdam
Destination	Shusha
Passengers	41
Crew	3
Fatalities	44
Survivors	0

The 1993 report by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on aviation security called it the "most significant incident" involving civil aviation in Central Eurasia.[1]

Background

Serious air warfare during the Nagorno-Karabakh War broke out in January 1992. Azeri aircraft became easy targets for Armenian armed forces. On January 9, the Armenians first claimed to have shot down an Azeri helicopter. More claims followed on January 24, 28 and 31 – all of them over Nagorno-Karabakh, the last being a Mi-8 downed from MANPADs over the village of Huha.[2] On January 31, the Azeris claimed the downings of two Mi-8s that supported the first Armenian offensive.[2]

Shootdown

The Mi-8 helicopter transported 44 persons aboard (41 passengers, all civilians, and 3 crew) when it departed the town of Aghdam for Shusha, which was blockaded by Armenians. The craft was downed en route by a surface-to-air missile. All aboard were killed.[2][3][4] According to Azeri journalist Kerim Kerimli, who assisted in collecting bodies at the site and confirmed the number of fatalities, the missile was launched from Stepanakert.[5]

Armenian officials stated that the helicopter was carrying weapons and ammunition to Azeris attacking Armenian villages.[2]

See also

• List of aircraft shootdowns during the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

References

На других языках

[it] Abbattimento del Mil Mi-8 azero del 1992

[ru] Катастрофа Ми-8 близ Шуши 28 января 1992 года