Three Burma Army officers died when an MI-2 military helicopter crashed today in Pegu’s Daik-U Township, according to the Office of the Commander-in-Chief.
The office’s initial report stated that the chopper, having undergone major maintenance at Meiktila air base, took off around 9 a.m. for Tenasserim’s Myeik air base. The chopper stopped in Taungoo, also in Pegu, to refuel and then continued toward Hmawbi, in Rangoon Division. Due to bad weather, it crashed before reaching its final destination.
The pilot, Maj Yan Naing Htoo, co-pilot Capt Tun Tun Naing and Sgt Tin Tun Lwin were reportedly killed on the spot. There is an open investigation into the cause of the accident.
This is the fourth known air force accident in recent months. In February, a Beechcraft airplane crashed near Naypyidaw International Airport, killing all five army officers onboard; in March, there was a runway accident at the same airport due to a mechanical failure; in April another chopper crashed in Mandalay Division.
