Helicopter missing near Chechnya

[cal04]

A RUSSIAN helicopter with three crew members on board was reported missing shortly after flying out of Chechnya's capital Grozny for the neighboring republic of North Ossetia, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting a military source.

Ground control lost contact with the Mi-8 transport helicopter half an hour after it took off, the source said, adding that search efforts were launched immediately.

The Mi-8 is a twin-propellor helicopter designed in 1960 and produced on a mass scale. Although generally considered reliable, inadequate maintenance of the ageing fleet has led to a number of Mi-8s crashing in recent years.

It had also been a frequent target for Chechen rebels waging a guerrilla war against the Russian forces in the breakaway republic on and off for the past decade.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10683710%255E1702,00.html

[Nambe]

1. You would think they might need to rest after killing so many.

I hope Putty doesn't drop the big one on these idiots.