The model of the helicopter that crashed in Brovary is known for many technical problems

Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma helicopters (more recently Airbus Helicopters H225) were purchased by Ukraine from France in 2018. The model belongs to the class of multi-purpose helicopters, and is equipped with a pair of gas turbine engines.

"As it turned out, these Eurocopters sometimes lose the main rotor in flight, suffering a "potentially catastrophic failure in the design", - reported the Ukrainian newspaper Strana. ua (quoted by Izvestia).

According to the conclusions of experts in 2016, one of the problems was found in the gearbox, which led to damage to the bearing.

In particular, the gearbox was developed for machines weighing up to 7 tons (developed in the 1960s), but later it began to be installed in aircraft weighing 11 tons. According to experts, this led to the crash of one of the helicopters of this model in 2009 off the coast of Scotland, with 14 people on board, and several other similar cases since 1980.

Due to the technical problems of the model, lawsuits were filed against Airbus. A ban on flights of Super Puma EC225 LP and AS332 L2 helicopters followed, but by 2017 it was canceled, which was explained by the replacement of parts and the elimination of risks.Earlier today it became known about the plane crash in the Kiev region.

The aircraft crashed in Brovary near a kindergarten. The causes of the crash are being investigated. At the moment, it is known about 18 dead, including three children. Among those killed in the helicopter crash are the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine: the head of the department Denis Monastyrsky, his deputy Yevgeny Enin, Secretary of State Yuri Lubkovich. 26 victims were also reported. There was a fire at the crash site of the aircraft.