Skopje, 14 December 2023 (MIA) - Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska said on Thursday that a committee will be set up to look into the case of the army helicopter, which made an emergency landing on Wednesday near the villages of Sredno Konjare and Dolno Konjare. 

"The helicopter did not crash, but was forced to make an emergency landing near Petrovec, which means that it did not land at the airport but on a clearing. Army pilots registered a defect during a regular training flight. Although prior to the flight the helicopter underwent regular inspection and nothing unusual was found, during the flight warning systems gave a signal that an engine malfunction was occurring, as I have been informed," Petrovska told reporters ahead of the regional conference "Peace and Prosperity in the Western Balkans" organized by the Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) and the SMART Balkans Project. 

She added that even though the pilot is young, he has acted in accordance with the standard operating procedures, notified the department of control, prepared for emergency landing and informed superiors. The helicopter is still there, the Minister added, and has been secured by army forces.

The committee, Petrovska said, will need to investigate in detail why the defect occurred, was is due to negligence or was it simply a malfunction like it has occurred previously. She noted that aircrafts are inspected regularly to avoid such issues.

The army helicopter made an emergency landing in an area between the villages of Sredno Konjare and Dolno Konjare on Wednesday at around 2:30 pm after a warning appeared of a motor malfunction during a regular training flight of the Air Force WING. There was no damage to the helicopter, and the crew landed safely, the Army said in a press release. ssh/nn/

Photo: MIA archive