The drama in the Ministry of Interior helicopter lasted for at least three minutes in the cliffs above Prokletije on Sunday afternoon, after the crew realized that both engines on the almost half-century-old aircraft had failed during an operation.
On the MUP helicopter - "Bell 212", during the rescue operation, according to initial information, both engines failed, but despite the extremely difficult situation, the pilot managed to maintain control of the aircraft and land it safely on the ground.
Insiders claim that the pilot, with superb skill and a lot of luck, managed to land the helicopter safely from autorotation near the local Gusinje-Grebaje road, saving seven lives: three crew members and four members of the Mountain Rescue Service.
Aviation experts have stated that the probability of both engines failing at the same time is almost zero.
The MUP aircraft, whose engines failed, is 47 years old and had been grounded for a long time due to technical malfunctions. It was only last year, after a series of investments and mechanical repairs, that it was operationally ready.
The helicopter had a huge number of flights last year and this year, and the aircraft was particularly operational in the last few days due to the two-day EU Summit in Tivat and rescue operations on Durmitor and Prokletije, where the engine eventually failed.
This is the only one of the two MUP helicopters that has been operational in recent months, and after the accident at Prokletije, they were left without both aircraft.
"It's likely that both engines were fatigued and failed," said the source for "Vijesti".
The "Bell 212" helicopter, whose engines failed, last had its most important part serviced three years ago at an authorized service center in Athens.
According to "Vijesti", the aircraft was scheduled to undergo regular engine maintenance again on June 18th.
For years, the Air and Helicopter Unit has been pointing out the problem of old and worn-out aircraft, which is why the fleet was completely neglected for a long time and the aircraft were grounded.
After the investment, some of the firefighting helicopters and aircraft were partially restored last year, but not to the extent that the MUP fleet would be operational for numerous search and rescue missions, firefighting, but also for surveillance and support from the sky.
"This is the last warning and fortunately we got through without any consequences," the unit warned.
Most of the pilots of the Air Helicopter Unit were on a regular flight simulator training exercise last week, where they practiced emergency procedures. This exercise, they assume, probably had an impact during the drama over Prokletije.
Due to the poor condition of the aircraft, the survival of the Air-Helicopter Unit has been called into question, because without the purchase of new helicopters, the state, with the exception of the Army of Montenegro, will be left without support for air missions.
The Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday that the helicopter was engaged through the Operations and Communications Center, when due to an unforeseen technical failure, the crew was forced to land in the area of the Gusinje municipality.
There were no injuries during the incident, and the crew members landed the helicopter safely.
"There was no damage to the aircraft or third-party property, and the crew members landed the helicopter safely," the Ministry of the Interior said.
As we welcome the season...
"Vijesti" has sent questions and is awaiting answers from the Ministry of Interior regarding the incident at Prokletije - how we are approaching the summer tourist season in terms of firefighting and safety in general, as well as whether the state is planning to purchase a new helicopter or plane for firefighting.
In mid-April this year, the government tasked the Ministry of Finance with redirecting 3,5 million euros from the current budget reserve to the budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to finance the lease of a firefighting aircraft during the 2026 fire season.
"...In situations where it is necessary to respond simultaneously to multiple critical points - additional capacity would relieve the burden on existing aviation assets and enable the protection and rescue system to have a greater number of operational resources at its disposal throughout the season. In this way, the state would be better prepared for the fire season and have a higher level of safety and efficiency in extinguishing fires from the air," the Government announced at the time.
At this moment, the Air-Helicopter Unit has only one operational out of a total of three "air tractor" firefighting aircraft, but it is expected that the other two could soon be ready for the season.
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