In his youth, Igor Malinovsky showed great promise. The Russian biathlete lit up at the junior world championships, where he won more than one medal, and was considered one of the main talents of the generation … However, the young man ultimately preferred the profession of a pilot to a sports career.

Unfortunately, in the new field, Igor worked for a very short time. On July 16, the helicopter, which was controlled by a young pilot, disappeared during the next flight. A day later, rescuers found an aircraft: it crashed near the volcano and burned down.

A terrible tragedy in Kamchatka.

fatal journey

Malinovsky graduated from the Omsk Flight Technical College of Civil Aviation this spring. Igor never hid that the work of a pilot attracted him more than the career of a professional athlete. A talented biathlete since childhood dreamed of following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a pilot. The financial factor also played a role here: the ex-athlete assured that in civil aviation an ordinary private trader earns no less than the most titled biathlete. True, Igor was not going to quit sports forever:

— I haven’t had the final race yet. I’m not going to completely tie up with sports, I will continue to perform at local regional competitions, Malinovsky said.

Igor Malinovsky / Photo: © RIA Novosti / Alexey Filippov

After graduating from college, Malinovsky hurried to do what he loved. Apparently, Igor got a job in a family company: he made his last flight on a Robinson helicopter, which, according to the press, belongs to the private enterprise Vzlyot of his father Vladimir.

– I just became a pilot, so for me, every flight is an achievement. In general, everyone is different. Someone likes to show off, so to speak, to master some kind of aerobatics, but, as a rule, most pilots are still for safety, ”Igor said in a May interview with Kamchatka media.

On July 16, Igor took off with two passengers on the Uzon-Milkovo route. The distance between the extinct volcano, which is located near the eastern coast of Kamchatka, and the native village of Malinovsky in the depths of the peninsula was less than a hundred kilometers. The distance is quite short – especially for a helicopter, which had to pass it in less than half an hour.

However, tourists who regularly visit the picturesque Uzon caldera are always warned that they should have a few days in reserve for this flight: flights to and from the volcano are often canceled due to difficult weather conditions in the region. They seem to have become the cause of the terrible tragedy that happened to the former biathlete.

“Burn-out helicopter found”

The Robinson crew stopped communicating at about two o’clock in the afternoon: shortly before departure, Malinovsky posted a video of the departure on his social networks, and later stopped answering calls. Soon, the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Kamchatka Territory began searching for a helicopter. Experts explored more than one and a half thousand square kilometers, but they managed to find the missing ship only the next day in the area of ​​​​the Semyachek pass. The governor of the region Vladimir Solodov was the first to announce this in his Telegram channel:

– Kamchatka rescuers found a burned-out helicopter 13 km south of the Uzon volcano, which disappeared from communication yesterday. The helicopter with two passengers and a pilot was on a private flight, the group was not registered as tourists. Yesterday in the area of ​​the helicopter crash site there was low cloud cover and unfavorable weather for flights. The competent authorities are conducting an investigation and will establish the reasons for the departure and the circumstances of the crash of a private helicopter,” the governor wrote.

Photo: © RIA Novosti / Peskov

The fate of the crew became known a few hours after the disturbing news. According to Telegram channel 112, none of the people on board survived. Later, this information was confirmed by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The Russian Biathlon Union and personally the national team coach Yuri Kaminsky have already expressed their condolences to the Malinovsky family:

“We are all very sorry. The whole team has been closely following the news in recent days. He was still a part of our men’s team for quite a long time, showing great promise. It is a pity first of all for a person, and secondly for an athlete. As far as I know, he hesitated whether to leave biathlon or not, to concentrate only on flying or not. I could completely return, reboot and perform. The guy is still young, ”Kaminsky told Match TV.

— The whole biathlon family mourns. The Russian Biathlon Union expresses its deepest condolences to Igor’s family and friends, the RBU said.