Dozens of tourists ??n the outskirts of Sochi became witnesses to a two passenger helicopter crash on Sunday, news reports said.
The accident occurred on the Shakhe river outside the village of Solokh-Aul. Neither of the passengers, the pilot and a tourist, was injured due to the flight's low height above the river.
Tourists were filming the manoeuvres of the pilot when the helicopter suddenly began losing altitude and fell three meters, splashing into the river on its side.
Spectators gathered at the scene of the incident rushed into the water to help the pilot and passenger, a resident of the Rostov region, Life News reports.
Both men safely emerged from the accident under their own power.
The helicopter was providing tours along different routes such as the Black Sea coast, an aerial flight over Sochi or along the mountain gorges of the river Shakhe.
Authorities are still determining the cause of the crash. Several versions suggest an unqualified pilot or a mechanical malfunction.