Helicopter crashes after Siberia mid-air collision

At least 18 people were killed when a Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter crashed during a routine flight above the remote region of Siberia on Saturday.

The aircraft, with three crew members onboard, was transporting 15 employees of the Russian oil company "Vankorneft," a Rosneft subsidiary. It took off from a pad in Vankor Field together with a companion cargo helicopter which carried metal framework suspended on a cable. Both of the aircraft were heading to an oil-pumping site.

The Vankor Field, where the incident took place, is located within the Arctic Circle, some 2,600 kilometers (1600 miles) northeast of Moscow.

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RIA Novosti agency published a video from the scene of the crash.

Pilot tried to pull away

While the exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, preliminary information indicates that the passenger helicopter got too close to the load-bearing cable soon after the take off.

The pilot appeared to "miscalculate the parameters" of his upwards climb and distance to the other aircraft, said a source from the scene cited by Russian Interfax news agency.

The crew's radio transmissions show that the pilot apparently noticed the problem and tried to pull away just seconds before the impact, the source said.

Despite the pilot's efforts, however, the blades of the passenger helicopter hit the cable hanging from the cargo helicopter. The impact caused the passenger aircraft to crash and burn down.

"There was no chance of anybody surviving," the source said.

Rosneft says crew's actions 'inexplicable'

At the same time, the crew of the cargo aircraft managed to disconnect the load after the impact and land safely.

Russian oil giant Rosneft said the actions of the late crew, working for the operator UTair, were "inexplicable."

Rescue teams have managed to recover the helicopter's black boxes, the TASS news agency reported. Russian authorities set up a commission to investigate the incident.

Russian oil and gas companies often hire helicopters to transport workers and goods over immense distances in Siberia, where most of Russia's energy reserves are located.

dj/rc (dpa, Reuters, Interfax, AP)