2ND LD: Chopper failed in landing, engine sparked explosion

Asian Economic News, Jan 22, 2001

ULAN BATOR, Jan. 16 Kyodo

(EDS: RECASTING WITH MONGOLIAN TASK FORCE'S VIEW)

The U.N.-chartered helicopter that crashed in Mongolia on Sunday, killing nine people, toppled over sideways after failing to land on a mountain slope and burst into flames as a fuel tank exploded, Mongolian investigative sources said Tuesday.

The sources said the helicopter lost its balance after touching down on the slope, adding the engine overheated and triggered the explosion.

The investigative task force believes the accident was probably due to a misjudgment by the pilot who failed to select an appropriate landing spot.

The accident occurred while the helicopter was attempting to land in the mountainous Uvs Province, roughly 1,000 kilometers northwest of Ulan Bator, the official China Daily reported.

Among the casualties were two Japanese journalists -- reporter Takahiro Kato, 33, and cameraman Minoru Masaki, 35 -- who worked for Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK). The other casualties were four U.N. staffers from Britain, Germany, Mongolia and the United States, and three Mongolians, including a National Assembly member.

Fourteen others aboard the helicopter managed to escape from the burning wreckage but were injured.

The helicopter continued to burn for more than seven hours, leaving only the tail part.

The helicopter had been chartered by the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team to investigate heavy snowfall damage in Mongolia that has killed a large number of livestock.

The Mongolian government is expecting to transfer the bodies to Ulan Bator in a day or two, but identifying them is likely to take time as they are severely damaged.

A U.N. spokesman in New York, Fred Eckhard, said Monday the cause of the accident is not known and that a full investigation would take place.

He also said the 14 survivors, while all hospitalized, were in relatively good condition, belying earlier reports that they had suffered serious burns.

The organization will question the survivors about the circumstances of the accident once they have recovered from their injuries, he said.

The Russian-made helicopter took off from Ulaangom in Uvs Province at around 10 a.m. Sunday and exploded while attempting to land at a nomad encampment after a brief stop at another location in the same province, the U.N. said.