Illustrative image.
On September 4, a Mi-8/17 transport helicopter of the Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) crashed in the city of Hama in west-central Syria.
A military source told the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency that the helicopter was on a training sortie when it fell as a result of a “technical failure”. The helicopter crashed right into a number of residential buildings in the northeastern part of Hama city.
The helicopter crew, pilot Colonel Tony Ghannam, co-pilot Captain Taher Mahmoud and flight engineer Lieutenant Ibrahim Ghazi, were all killed in the accident. However, no civilians were harmed.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook.
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- Click to see full-size image. Via Facebook.
The SyAAF operates more than 40 Mi-8/17 helicopters, which are mainly used for transportation, airborne operations and fire support.
This was the second Syrian warplane to crash this week and the overall third this year. On February 15, a MiG-23UB fighter jet crashed near Sha’irat Air Base in the eastern countryside of Homs as a result of a technical failure. Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed in the accident. More recently on September 2, a MiG-21 fighter jet crashed in the outskirts of the town of al-Khalidiyeh in the northern countryside of al-Suwayda, also as a result of a technical failure. The pilot survived with minor wounds after ejecting.
The SyAAF is still highly active despite of its very limited resources. Russia has been supplying the war-ridden air force with spare parts, ammunition and technical support. Russian military advisors have been also training Syrian pilots.
