VZCZCXRO5586
RR RUEHLMC RUEHVK
DE RUEHUM #0418/01 1990607
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180607Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1304
RHMCSUU/FAA NATIONAL HQ WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5664
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2559
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1825
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0042
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2840
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0086
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0463
RUEHGP/AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE 0338
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG 0280
RUEHVK/AMCONSUL VLADIVOSTOK 0117
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RHEFHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC 0633
RUEAZCA/FAA WESTERN PACIFIC RGN LOS ANGELES CA 0018

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ULAANBAATAR 000418 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS EXIMBANK AND OPIC 
STATE PASS TO AID/ANE, EB/TRAN/AN AND EAP/CM 
TOKYO, BEIJING AND SINGAPORE FOR FAA REP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR PGOV ECON MG
SUBJECT: TRAGIC CRASH FOCUSES ATTENTION ON HELICOPTER SAFETY. 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action cable.  See action requested in of the FAA 
in para 12. 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY. The crash of a Mongolia Border Forces 
Russian-built MI-8 helicopter that claimed the lives of 15 
firefighters has led to renewed focus on the safety of the country's 
dwindling helicopter fleet, both private and state-owned. This 
crash, and one in February both involved government military 
helicopters, and the state-run MIAT suffered a notorious helicopter 
crash in 2001 that claimed 10 lives.  With the remainder of the 
country's chopper fleet now in the hands of two private operators, 
the Mongolian Civil Aviation Authority is tightening its oversight. 
But questions remain about MCAA's ability to maintain and enforce 
ICAO standards on a rapidly aging fleet of MI-8s. END SUMMARY. 
 
Two Helicopter Crashes This Year 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Mongolian reaction to the crash has been intense. The 15 
firefighters killed enroute to combat forest fires in a remote 
section of northern Selenge Aimag (province) have been turned into 
national heroes, a national day of mourning was declared on June 22, 
and the Minister of Emergency Services, S. Otgonbayar was forced to 
resign after a bungled rescue mission  took over three days to reach 
the crash site. Although the cause of the most recent crash is still 
under investigation it appears that human error and bad weather 
conditions were contributing factors.  Authorities report receiving 
radio messages describing foggy conditions shortly before the crash. 
 
 
¶4. (U) The crash was the second involving a military helicopter this 
year.  In February, the Ministry of Defense's lost its sole 
remaining MI-8 helicopter when a MP allegedly ordered the military 
pilots to fly too low while he was "fox hunting" with Japanese 
guests. There were no fatalities. In January 2001, the national 
carrier MIAT lost an MI-8 in a notorious crash that killed 10 
persons (UN staffers and other prominent passengers including 
foreign journalists) during a relief operation flight in the west of 
the country. The cause of that accident was found to be a 
combination of human error - the pilot tried to land on icy slope- 
and overloading of relief supplies. 
 
Military Choppers Seen As Unsafe 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) It has been an open secret that helicopters operated by the 
Mongolian military or boarder forces are unsafe, poorly maintained 
and that pilots have had little training.  Embassy personnel have 
long refused to fly military copters citing safety concerns and have 
down-played repeated requests from the GOM for monetary assistance 
to purchase additional helicopters because of the military's 
inability to properly maintain them.  Mongolia's Civil Aviation 
Authority (MCAA) has no supervisory jurisdiction over military 
aircraft, which fall under the broader Civil Aviation Law, and has 
thus been unable to apply ICAO standards to their upkeep and 
operation. 
 
CAA and Private Sector Scrutiny 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Although similar safety concerns exist for the small fleet of 
private MI-8 helicopters operated by Central Mongolian Airways (CMA) 
and Sky Horse Aviation (SHA), they are generally considered to be 
much safer than their military counterparts because the MCAA has 
been diligent in its oversight, even grounding one of CMA's choppers 
last year when it noticed irregularities in the record keeping 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000418  002 OF 002 
 
 
flight hours.  In light of the recent tragedy, MCAA is expected to 
tighten its oversight even further.  Furthermore, private helicopter 
companies also have more resources (business income) for helicopter 
upkeep and their pilots tend to receive a lot more flight hours, 
especially during peak summer tourist season.  With four choppers 
between them, these two companies target adventure tourists by 
delivering them to remote rugged locations usually for fishing or 
hunting. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Representatives from both Sky Horse Aviation and CMA 
recently told Econoff that they operate strictly under permits 
issued by MCAA, which adhere to International Civil Aviation 
Organization (ICAO) standards. MCAA issues Aircraft Airworthiness 
Certificates as well as Air Operator Certificates to all companies 
and their aircraft. They also conduct regular inspections to ensure 
that they meet international standards. MCAA states that they are in 
compliance with ICAO standards. L. Nyambayar, CMA President, told 
Econoff that MCAA oversight had become noticeably stricter over the 
past decade. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Both helicopter companies have also undergone professional 
audits by Hart Aviation, hired by foreign mining companies who have 
charted the helicopters for geological surveys and transporting 
mining personal to remote mining areas.  Hart Aviation gave Sky 
Horse passing grades in an audit last year and a currently valid 
Hart Aviation audit on CMA gives the company a clean bill of health 
while commending the company for addressing recommendations in 
Hart's audit of a year earlier. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Mongolia's love-hate relationship with the MI-8 stems from 
the chopper's extensive use during Soviet-dominated socialist times 
and the fact that parts are more readily available for Russian built 
helicopters.  Service stations are also nearby, just over the border 
in Irkutsk.  CMA mentioned to Econoff that he had originally wanted 
to use Bell helicopters when starting his business over a decade 
ago, but the costs were not sustainable.  Recently, a representative 
from Mongolia's newest airline EZnis mentioned that his company is 
currently looking into importing Bell helicopters from China as part 
of an expansion plan. 
 
¶10. (SBU) COMMENT: Our investigation of helicopter safety in 
Mongolia, cursory though it was, suggests that choppers operated by 
private companies who are subject to oversight by the MCAA are 
generally safe.  Private audits carried out by Hart Aviation support 
this finding.  The recent crash has become a national tragedy and 
will likely force MCAA to heighten its focus on helicopter safety, 
at least in the short term. And we were impressed with MCAA's 
decision, likely bucking heavy political pressure, to ground one of 
CMA choppers after finding sketchy book keeping. Nevertheless, the 
average remaining life span of active privately operated MI-8s in 
Mongolia is 7-10 years, we have received no indication from the 
executives we spoke to at either Central Mongolian Airways or Sky 
Horse Aviation that there was a plan to replace them any time soon. 
END COMMENT. 
 
¶12. (U) ACTION REQUEST: As requested in reftel, post asks regional 
FAA reps to consider traveling to Mongolia sometime soon to help 
flesh out possible areas for training and technical cooperation with 
Mongolia's CAA as well as to provide an assessment of MCAA's 
adherence to ICAO standards and the effectiveness of its aviation 
oversight operations. 
 
MINTON