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Helicopter Destroyed in Crash, Crew Survives

An Mi-8 helicopter, similar to the one in Tuesday's crash, sits on an airfield. Maxim Stulov

A crash in the far eastern Khabarovsk region destroyed a military helicopter Tuesday, all three occupants escaping without significant injury.

The Mi-8MT transport aircraft was being flown by a student pilot who landed improperly in an area unsuitable for landing.

"The screws for the tail boom were sheared off, the helicopter heavily is damaged beyond repair," a military source told RIA-Novosti.

Mi-8MT helicopters were used widely in the Soviet Afghan war from 1979 to 1989.

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