Emergency occurrence with Ka-32C UR-CIT, occurred at Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).

    At 04:28 UTC, during maintenance on the Ka-32C helicopter, registration UR-CIT, operated by “RS AVIA” LLC, at the stage of powerplant ground testing — specifically, while setting the right engine to “take-off” mode — the crew felt fuselage vibrations with increasing amplitude. The PIC reduced the powerplant operating mode followed by shutting down the engines, but the fuselage vibrations did not decrease and continued to grow. As a result, the crew lost the ability to operate any flight controls, and a fire broke out in the area of the right engine. The PIC activated the fire extinguishing system and turned off the batteries; concurrently, maintenance personnel of the crew attempted to extinguish the helicopter using an onboard OU-2 fire extinguisher, which did not yield the desired result. The crew commenced an immediate emergency evacuation to a safe area, and approximately 2-3 minutes later, the fire began to spread intensively from the right side of the helicopter. A few minutes later, the airport fire and rescue units arrived at the scene and commenced firefighting operations. As a result of the fire, the helicopter sustained substantial damage and was destroyed by fire.

    In accordance with Paragraph 63, Part 1, Article 1 of the Air Code of Ukraine, this occurrence is classified as an emergency occurrence and is subject to investigation in accordance with the Rules approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 610 dated 20 May 2022. Following alignment of positions with the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of Malaysia, the NTIB initiated a safety investigation of the emergency occurrence, while the AAIB, for its part, appointed an accredited representative to assist in the investigation.