# Ivory Coast Air Force Mi-24 assault helicopter crash

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2020/03/ivory-coast-air-force-mi-24-assault-helicopter-crash/
- Published: 2020-03-19T15:25:57+01:00
- Author: Kazim Abdul

An Mi-24 ‘Hind’ assault helicopter belonging to the Force Aérienne de la Côte d’Ivoire(
FACI, Ivory Coast Air Force) has crashed on 18 March 2020 at Abidjan.

According to local sources, the Mi-24 helicopter took off around 09:45 hours local
time from the Felix Houphouet Boigny international airport and crashed near the 
airport. Both pilots suffered minor injuries but they left the strikened the helicopter
by themselves.

 * ![Ivory Coast Air Force mi 24 helicopter crash](military.africa/wp-content/uploads/
   2020/03/Ivory-Coast-Air-Force-mi-24-helicopter-crash-2.png)
 * ![Ivory Coast Air Force mi 24 attack helicopter crash](military.africa/wp-content/
   uploads/2020/03/Ivory-Coast-Air-Force-mi-24-attack-helicopter-crash.png)
 * ![Ivory Coast Air Force mi 24d helicopter crash](military.africa/wp-content/uploads/
   2020/03/Ivory-Coast-Air-Force-mi-24d-helicopter-crash.png)
 * The fuselage still appear intact.

The Mi-24 assault gunship was assigned to the Escadrille de Chasse (attack squadron)
based at Base Aérienne de Abidjan/Port Bouet.

A pair of UB-32 rocket pods were still mounted on the crashed Mi-24 Hind helicopter.
Also, the fuselage still appears intact.

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In 2017, Air Force of Ivory Coast [received three Mi-24 attack helicopters from Russia, ](https://www.military.africa/2020/03/ivory-coast-air-force-mi-24-assault-helicopter-crash/military.africa/2018/06/in-2017-air-force-of-ivory-coast-received-three-attack-helicopters-from-russia)
to replace those lost in a French military attack.

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On 6 November 2004, the then French President Jacques Chirac ordered the destruction
of the Ivorian air force and the seizure of Yamoussoukro airport, the country’s 
main airport following an attack that killed nine French soldiers and wounding 31
others.

This recent helicopter crash comes after another crashing 27 November 2019, where
an Mi-24D serial TU-VHR was destroyed after a collision between the helicopter and
an Mi-17 serial TU-VHM that was parked on the ground at Katiola (Ivory Coast).

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