Mil Mi-8P crash near off Fesdhoo, Ari Atoll, Ari Atoll, Maldives

The helicopter was flying from Malé to Bodufolhudoo when it lost directional control and came down in the sea off Fesdhoo at about 11:15. Nine of the eleven on board were killed. The investigation found that the number 1 hanger bearing of the tail rotor drive shaft had seized through corrosion, pitting and wear, and that the first spline coupling then failed, its failure helped by a difference in hardness specification between the male and female halves of the coupling. Injuries among the two survivors were not reported. Coordinates are approximate to Fesdhoo.