A Ukrainian helicopter crashed as it was trying to land on a Black Sea drilling platform. The crash killed 20 people, officials said on Monday.

The helicopter was a Mi-8 and it belonged to a Ukrainian state gas company. The aircraft crashed at about 2:30 a.m. EDT at about 40 miles offshore according to Valentyn Zemlyansky, a spokesman for the Naftogaz gas company.

As it was trying to land, the helicopter hit a pole on the rig with its tail then fell onto the rig. The aircraft then caught fire at impact according to the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The helicopter was packed with employees of the gas company heading for the rig. Only one of them made it alive from the crash, but he died later from his injuries, said Zemlyansky.

The Mi-8, a helicopter used mainly for civilian aviation, is well known for the frequent crashes it has been involved in. Most crashes are caused by poor maintenance and excessive age.

A similar accident happened last month, when a Ukrainian helicopter carrying border guards crashed killing 12 of them.

``It crashed and exploded like in an American film,'' Zemlyansky said by mobile phone from Kiev.

He added that the production at the platform was brought to a halt by the crash, but consumers won't be affected.