Mil Mi-8 crash near Chernobyl, Ukraine

A Mil Mi-8 helicopter (callsign Cup-2) struck the cables of a construction crane while flying over the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant during cleanup operations following the April 1986 disaster. The helicopter was dumping polyvinyl acetate glue to trap radioactive dust when its rotor blades struck the crane cables, shattered, and the aircraft plummeted to the ground just outside the reactor building. All four crew members were killed. A KGB report suggested the pilot had been blinded by sunlight. The incident was captured on film by a visiting film crew. The crew were posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Star.