A Mil Mi-28 attack helicopter operated by the Ugandan Military crashed in Western Uganda on January 2, 2024, killing both crew members onboard and one civilian.
The Russian-made helicopter was on its way to The Democratic Republic of Congo as part of a peacekeeping mission, when it crashed in Nyamisingiri Village, Kichwamba sub-county, Ntoroko district, a Western area of Uganda.
The helicopter’s blades penetrated the roof of a house during the crash, which tragically claimed the life of one civilian.
“Uganda People’s Defense Force Air Force regrets to report a Helicopter crash in the areas of Karugutu-Ntoroko,” Ugandan Air Force spokesperson Maj Naboth Mugisha told various media.
Brigadier Felix Kulayigye, spokesperson for the Uganda People’s Defence Force told local media TRT Afrika that bad weather is suspected to be the cause of the crash.
“The crew died heroes as they participated in the struggle to pacify our western frontier of the dreadful ADF,” Kulayigye said.
Kulayigye also said that the helicopter was flying to Congo, where Uganda’s military is fighting the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an extremist group.
The crashed Mi-28, developed by Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant, is one of three acquired by the Uganda People’s Defence Force in 2022.