MOSCOW - The Kamov Ka-52 helicopter that crashed in the Tver region on Monday could have flown into an in-flight snow shower, a source close to the commission investigating the crash told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday.
"The crew were flying at night in bad weather conditions, by instruments alone. They could have temporarily lost their bearings after the helicopter flew into a powerful snow charge," he said.
The crew were on a scheduled training mission with a landing on a designated site.
"The flight controller advised the crew to fly over the site without landing. That was done, but then contact was lost with the pilots," the source said.
The stress factor could have worked when the helicopter flew into snow, he said.
"But this is only a theory. The commission is investigating. Instruments could have malfunctioned, or some other emergency could have occurred," he said.
Reports said earlier that a Kamov Ka-52 helicopter crashed near Torzhok in Tver region on Monday evening. Both crewmembers were killed, according to updated reports.
