KHABAROVSK, August 29 - RAPSI. Military investigators have initiated a criminal case over the crash of an Mi-24 military helicopter that killed one crew member in Primorye Territory on Friday, Eastern Military District Deputy Military Prosecutor Andrei Metchenko told RIA Novosti on Monday.

The helicopter crashed in the vicinity of Chernigovka, a village not far from Ussiriisk, Primorye Territory, during a training mission at 12:16 MT on Friday. Upon impacting the ground, the helicopter caught fire. One crew member died, while the two others were rescued. The accident caused no other damage or civilian casualties. The injured pilots were taken to the nearest hospital. Mi-24 flights have been suspended until the cause of the crash is identified.

"A case was opened for the violation of flight or flight preparation regulations," Metchenko said. The Criminal Code allows for a sentence of up to seven years in prison if the case results in a conviction on this charge.