UN PEACEKEEPING HELICOPTER CRASH-LANDS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
One of the three Sri Lanka Air Force Mi-17 helicopters engaged in UN peacekeeping duties in the Central African Republic flew 140 nautical miles northeast of Bria on a UN peacekeeping operation and crash-landed this morning (12 December 2024). Initial investigations implied that the incident occurred during the landing of the Mi-17 helicopter in adverse wind-blown dust conditions. The pilot and the four crew members aboard the helicopter were not injured in this incident.
Following the incident, the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Udeni Rajapakse, directed an investigation team comprising peacekeeping officers from the Central African Republic to the location and a special investigation team from the Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters has also been appointed.
