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2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash

12 Jan 2008 · Blace, near Katlanovo, Macedonia

Army of the Republic of Macedonia Mil Mi-17 · Weather-related crash

From Camp Butmir, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Skopje International Airport (SKP)

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Event

Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
Accident
Event fatalities
11 · all aircraft and ground
Ground fatalities
Unknown
Occupants
11
Survivors
0
InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
Unknown
OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
Military

Mil Mi-17

Aircraft type
Mil MI-17
Category
Helicopter · from aircraft type
RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
VAM-304
Onboard fatalities
11
Route
From Camp Butmir, Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaTo Skopje International Airport (SKP)

Approximate · Estimated position: Katlanovo, near the place the Wikipedia article names. Not the accident site.

From the Wikipedia article

The 2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash occurred on Saturday, 12 January 2008, when a Mil Mi-17 transport helicopter belonging to the Macedonian military, crashed 50–100 metres from the village of Blace, situated in the region of Katlanovo, approximately 10–15 kilometres south-east of Skopje, Macedonia due to low visibility caused by heavy fog. All 11 individuals aboard the helicopter, including 8 passengers and 3 crew members, were killed in the crash.

Incident

The incident took place at approximately 11:00 a.m. (GMT). The helicopter was returning from a EUFOR peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and started to experience foggy conditions whilst preparing to land at their destination – the Skopje Airport. The crash was reported by two local fishermen who claimed they saw the helicopter flying unusually low. A witness stated that "The engine of the helicopter did not sound like it worked well..." Witnesses also reported seeing a "fireball" as the helicopter became engulfed in flames following impact. This was subsequently followed by a series of explosions, possibly triggered by a supply of kerosene or ammunition.

Based on a Reuters photographer's eye-witness account, the helicopter was incinerated and debris was found up to 100 metres from the crash site.

Text from the Wikipedia article “2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash” (revision 1339314368, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article

Sources

Wikipedia article: 2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash
Article
2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash
Revision
1339314368 · 2026-02-19 · retrieved 2026-09-18
Wikidata
Q4611461
Licence
Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
Record
Wikipedia article "2008 Macedonian Armed Forces Mil Mi-17 crash" (page 15342210, revision 1339314368)
Date
Wikipedia infobox: date
Place and country
Wikipedia infobox: site
Map position
place the Wikipedia infobox site links (Wikidata coordinates)
Aircraft, operator and route
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
Operation
operator named as an armed force or military unit in the infobox
Fatalities
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
Ground fatalities
not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
Summary
Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
  • Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.