A Ka-226 helicopter crashed near the village of Achi-Su in Dagestan on Nov. 7, killing five people, including four senior employees of the U.S. and EU-sanctioned military factory Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ).
Footage shows the Ka-226 clipping its tail while attempting to land on a beach, then drifting along the Caspian Sea, apparently searching for a place to land, before crashing into a residential building and erupting in flames. Two others were injured in the incident.
❗️The moment of yesterday’s Ka-226 helicopter crash in 🇷🇺Dagestan with employees of the military plant “Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant”
The accident killed the deputy general director, chief engineer and chief designer pic.twitter.com/JVVKEWc43E
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) November 8, 2025
Separate videos posted online show firefighters struggling to extinguish a blaze that has destroyed a residential building.
Moment of the crash of a russian ❌Ka-226 utility helicopter in Dagestan
russian media report that the son of the plant’s director has died in the hospital after the accident, bringing the death toll to 5🚁Helicopter photo is for reference only. pic.twitter.com/BBot2x5kBz
— 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸Midobecker 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@midobecker_1) November 7, 2025
According to Nexta, an Eastern European news channel, the crash resulted from a “technical malfunction.” Russia’s federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, labeled the incident a “disaster” and confirmed it will participate in an official investigation.
The Ka-226 is a twin-engine Russian utility helicopter that can carry up to seven passengers. In July 2024, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency reported that a Ka-226 was among several helicopters damaged in a sabotage operation.
KEMZ, a key supplier of control and diagnostic systems for Sukhoi and MiG aircraft, has been sanctioned by the U.S. and EU for aiding Russia’s war in Ukraine.
