A KA-29 assault transport helicopter crashed on April 12, 2018, in the Baltic Sea, west of Kaliningrad. The incident happened at 23:30 local time. The helicopter was undergoing night-time test exercises. Both test pilots of the helicopter manufacturer Kamov were reported dead.

The weather conditions on sight were normal, according to the Baltic fleet press service. The local meteorological center reports that wind speed did not exceed 12 meters per second and waves were not higher than one meter during the night.

The KA-29 is an assault version of the anti-submarine KA-27 helicopter. It was developed in the early 1980s by Kamov. Its purpose is to drop infantry from ships to land, and provide fire support to amphibious assault troops. 15 KA-29 are currently active in the Russian Naval aviation, and it has been exported in several other countries.

A recovery mission is still underway on the crash site. An investigation should be launched to identify the reasons of the crash.