The MUH-1 Marineon amphibious helicopters crashed around 4:45 p.m. (0745 GMT) local time at the military airport in the southeastern city of Pohang on Tuesday, July 17, the South Korean defense ministry said.
The MUH-1 Marineon military helicopter crashed during a test flight after repair from about 10 meters (33 feet). There was a post-impact fire. Five occupants died, one survived.
“Five of the six crew members on board were killed and the remaining one has been taken to hospital due to injury,” the ministry said in a statement.
The helicopter, which was being test-flown after a repair, caught fire after it crashed to the ground from about 10 meters (33 feet) in the air, also noted in the statement by the defense ministry.
The Republic of Korea Marine Corps said that The crash happened around 4:45 p.m. (0745 GMT) local time when the helicopter fell from a height of about 10 meters (33 feet) at the landing strip of a marine base in Pohang.
The MUH-1s, the Marine version of the KUH-1 Surion helicopter developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The 19-meter-long, 3.5-meter-wide MUH-1 can carry up to nine troops, flying for more than three hours with a supplementary fuel tank installed. KAI is contracted to deliver 30 of the Marineons to the Marine Corps.
