Aircraft

The two-man crew of an Ecuadorian air force Dhruv light helicopter escaped with their lives after crashing the Hindustan Aeronautics-built aircraft during a flight demonstration on 27 October.

The mishap occurred while the Dhruv was participating in celebrations to mark the 89th anniversary of the Ecuadorian air force, with the aircraft coming down on Mariscal Sucre airport near the capital Quito.

Both images © Sipa Press/Rex Features

Ecuador has so far received four HAL Dhruvs from an eight-aircraft order. The aircraft were delivered to the country in February 2009, according to Flight's HeliCAS database.

Initial reports suggest that the aircraft destroyed in the accident was registered as FAE-604.