Aircraft Crash Videos

The Thunderbird crash entry gets about ten times as many hits as any other page on this site, so I figured these other aviation “incident” videos might be of interest. They’ve been gathered from various sites around the internet over the years.

This entry started off as a way to share an amazing slow motion video clip of a helicopter main rotor blade in flight, but I’ll save that one for another day.

737 making a gear-up landingIf the gear is going to fail on a 737, this is one of the worst ways for it to happen — one main landing gear is up, the other is down. But the pilot does a great job of keeping the aircraft on the runway. There is something to be said for fixed gear… (61 second mpeg, 1.9 mb)


747 landing at Kai Tak Intl Airport in Hong KongHong Kong’s Kai Tak International Airport (now closed) was legendary for its approach procedure, which was offset 90 degrees from the runway heading. Pilots of even the largest jumbo jets had to make a tight turn at low altitude just seconds before touching down. Here, a Korean Airlines 747 makes what, believe it or not, is a typical approach into this airport. (18 second mpeg, 891 kb)

Airbus A320 lands in the treesHere’s a brand new Air France Airbus A320 making what was supposed to be a fly-by at a 1998 airshow. The pilot claims the highly automated control system on the A320 failed to respond properly to commands. The official investigation blamed pilot error as the cause, but it was later revealed that the aircraft’s black boxes had been switched after the crash. What really happened? Who knows. (24 second mpeg, 983 kb)

B-52 crashes at the Fairchild AFBThe flight crew of this B-52 was attemping a low speed, low altitude, 90 degree bank in a B-52 during a rehearsal for the 1994 Fairchild AFB airshow. The maneuver clearly exceeded the aircraft’s capabilities and published limitations, with predictable results. (26 second mpeg, 1.0 mb)

News helicopter makes a hard landing after the tail rotor failsHelicopter accidents can be quite spectacular. Thankfully, everyone walked away from this Aerospatiale AS-350BA news helicopter after it made a hard landing on top of a building in Brooklyn, NY. The preliminary NTSB accident report is here. (28 second mpeg, 2.0 mb)

Sea Knight helicopter botches a shipboard landingA high percentage of the nation’s helicopter fleet are operated by the military, which require a high level of performance from their aircraft. As you can imagine, this results in some interesting incidents. Here, a Sea Knight approaches a ship for landing. The pilot comes in a bit short, so he tries to back off for another attempt. But the left rear landing gear gets caught up on a safety barrier and the helicopter overturns right into the water. (79 seconds, wmv format, 2.6 mb)

Crash during a commuter aircraft demonstration“Flight demonstrations” often involve high-risk flight profiles. This is because the pilot’s goal is to show the full range of the aircraft’s performance envelope. This commuter aircraft, for example, was being demonstrated for potential buyers when a high performance landing attempt went awry. I can only assume the manufacturer didn’t fare too well in the sales department on this particular day. (4 second mpeg, 789 kb)

F-15 mid-air collision during a training exerciseThere’s nothing like a mid-air collision to ruin your day. In this case, two F-15s try to share the same airspace at the same time. Is it just me, or does the pilot sound a little stressed when he makes his mayday call? (20 seconds, wmv format, 693 kb)

Pilot attempts to fly a helicopter without any flight trainingPut this one in the Darwin Award nominee category. I’m going to go out on a limb here and unequivocably state that if you want to solo a helicopter, you really should get some flight training first. The only thing I can’t figure out is how someone with such a low IQ acquired the money to buy a Hughes 300 helicopter. Another victim of low interest rates, perhaps? (68 seconds, wmv format, 2.2 mb)

A helicopter attempts to tow a disabled boatHelicopters are great for many things, but towing disabled boats back to the dock is apparently not one of them. It’s a miracle the people in the boat were not hit with flying debris. I wonder if the pilot had to take a “709 ride” with the FAA after this. And if he did, what would the FAA test him on? The proper way to tow things with your rotorcraft? (26 seconds, wmv format, 326 kb)

Two Russian fighters collide during an airshowI find it tough to tell the latest generations of MiG and Sukhoi fighters apart. Be that as it may, here’s a clip of two Russian fighters colliding during an airshow performance. Amazingly, both pilots survive.(33 second mpeg, 2.2 mb)

An astounding demonstration of skill with a remote-controlled helicopterIf you only watch one video, make it this one. The file size is large, but it’s worth the wait. Dan sent this to me with a note saying it was the wackiest RC demonstration he’d ever seen. I couldn’t put it any better than that. Another video of this pilot at work is available here.(5:31, wmv format, 14.7 mb)

Sea Stallion cuts off it's own refueling probeThis excellent video demonstrates both the resilience of the Sea Stallion’s main rotor blades and the ease with which you can end up cutting off parts of your own aircraft if you’re not careful. Look at how that refueling basket flops around in the breeze. Between the rotor wash from the helicopter and the prop blast from the C-130’s engines, I’m surprised refueling a helo in flight works at all. (12 second mpeg, 3.1 mb)

Sea King autorotation goes sour?These clips are so short, sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly what precipitates the carnage. In this case, I’d guess the pilot was practicing an autorotation — or maybe experienced a real engine failure — and wasn’t able to arrest the descent rate in time. Once the main rotor blade ends up in the dirt, it’s all over. (15 second mpeg, 1.5 mb)

Sukhoi SU-26 flying under a bridge invertedDon’t try this at home! Aerobatic pilot Jurgis Kairys flies his Sukhoi SU-26 “Old Faithful” under a bridge — inverted — in Kaunas, Lithuania in 2001. Apparently they don’t have minimum safe altitude rules in the former Soviet republics. Note to self: gotta do some flying in Lithuania… (30 second mpeg, 1.4 mb)

  104 comments for “Aircraft Crash Videos

  1. scott
    April 4, 2005 at 8:31 am

    this is a cool site

  2. Jerry
    April 10, 2005 at 1:49 pm

    This is a very awesome sight. im a private pilot. im surprise at how good the pilot from the 747 is. i tried the approach on my sim i still have the old microsoft fs98 still has that approach. crashed a couple of times then got it right. very hard. i wish there were more sights like this and i wished you had some more vids.

  3. Jerry
    April 10, 2005 at 1:57 pm

    I have found another good sight with some vids. some of them are the same you guys have here. might want to check it. http://www.alexisparkinn.com/aviation_videos.htm it would be nice to have all these videos in one website

  4. Aidan
    April 11, 2005 at 4:54 pm

    This is the worst site ever.

    Ah no, just kiddin, it’s great – but I got your attention! I’ve always been petrified of flying, so I was always afraid to look at clips like these.

    However, after my last flight back home to Ireland from Gran Canaria (before we landed, I was pretty sure that the pilot had somehow been switched with his three-year-old son and/or had his arms amputated), I resigned to the fact that there’s nowhere so good in the world that it’s not worth sailing to!

    So now I can look at all the clips I like, because I’m never again boarding anything that could potentially become airborne – such as planes, helicopters or large chickens.

    Continue to convey thine grooviness, my Aviation Amigos! (oooh I think I might copyright that…)

    Aidan 😉

  5. Jay Mac
    April 14, 2005 at 6:30 am

    did you see Jurgis at the Avalon International Airshow in Melb Graham? i think that’s what you’re speaking of. easily one of the most skilled pilots of today, and luckily i got it all on tape! the stunts he pulled were out of this world, and he even has carpet in his hanger!

    also the night R/C chopper display was awe inspiring. i had no idea of the capabilities of those things!

    – Jay Mac (aspiring hornet pilot)

  6. Leon
    April 14, 2005 at 5:11 pm

    These videos only bolster my notion that > Planes are wrong.

    If God had intended us to fly, he’d have given us single serving toothpaste and a boarding pass.

    On the flip-side, by all current agreed laws of physics, the stealth bomber – which incorporates no tailplane configuration in it’s design, is a modern miracle and technically should not fly at all!

    Wierd huh?

  7. Dottie
    April 17, 2005 at 10:25 pm

    Re: the Farnborough DeHavilland Buffalo crash in 1984-

    “The only accident at Farnborough thus far that Richey has witnessed was the injury-free de Havilland Buffalo prang in 1984. “John [Blake] was commentating, and as the aeroplane began its approach he said, ‘Now ladies and gentlemen I want you to watch this landing. It’s going to be spectacular, a show-stopper.’ John soon turned to me and said he had a feeling he wished he’d never said that. He was right. In it went, and some major bits and pieces fell off.” When the wreckage came to rest, the hatch in the roof of the cockpit opened and a head appeared, slowly surveying the scene to see what was left of the airplane.

    There was more, according to Richey’s memory of the mishap. “Allegedly, HM’s Customs and Excise turned up at the de Havilland chalet later that day with a bill for permanent importation of goods, since they weren’t going to be taking the aircraft home to Canada. That evening, I heard the operator of one of two big cranes, summoned to remove the scattered pieces of Buffalo, ask his mate, ‘Hey, Fred, you want a wing or a leg?’” Link.

  8. Readie
    April 20, 2005 at 6:31 am

    Incredible 747 landing in Hong Kong. Must have watched it 30 times, in awe!
    It seems that when the right wing levels out, it pushes the aircraft into a big right hand slide (lots of tyre smoke and attitude), and then the clip ends. I would love to see how the pilot and aircraft recover from this big ‘oversteer’.

    Anyone know if the footage continues past what we see in this clip, and where I could find it?

    Very impressive site, (with absolute respect to any deceased) it is fascinating reality.

  9. MiG
    April 22, 2005 at 6:39 am

    “On the flip-side, by all current agreed laws of physics, the stealth bomber – which incorporates no tailplane configuration in it’s design, is a modern miracle and technically should not fly at all!”

    Complete and utter rubbish. Perhaps high school level physics and a simplistic understanding of flight makes it seem like a miracle, but I assure you that technically the B2 should fly. Do you think some crazy engineers woke up one day and thought “by jove, perhaps if we construct a flying wing it will fly itself?”. The germans were experimenting with flying wings in WWII. Please keep your sensationalistic and unfounded comments to yourself.

  10. josh
    April 22, 2005 at 7:07 am

    cool

  11. R Pobjoy
    April 28, 2005 at 5:03 pm

    The Military Helicopter crash was Canadian Military Sea King. The cause was not a mechanical failure or pilot error and it was not an auto rotation. The cause of the crash was a rare aerodynamic effect called “settling of power.” In extremely rare circumstances, the rotor downwash forces outwards and upwards and then back down through the rotor system again. In effect, the helicopter “sucks” itself down to the ground. If ever you see a helicopter landing in the snow or dust you can often see the effect of the snow blowing outwards and upwards. This is almost the same effect. The more collective the pilot pulls, the worse the condition gets. If the pilot is lucky enough to recognize the condition, the way out of this problem is to push forward on the cyclic control and disturb the aero effect.

  12. Prosenjit bhattacharya
    April 29, 2005 at 4:14 pm

    since i am an aircraft maintenence eng. by profession i love aircraft… it is very sad to see all those accidents…but viewing these videos enlighten us about the human error and increase our responsiblity towards aircraft,the flying machine… i just love to see more videos..so just keep going…

  13. Chris
    May 5, 2005 at 9:55 pm

    I don’t know about anyone else but from the look of the fireball from the automated airbus i don’t see how the pilot lived to make a claim

  14. Brian Davis
    May 8, 2005 at 5:15 pm

    I was amazed at the video of Col. Holland flying the B-52 into the ground. What I don’t understand about this disreguard towards the limits of large aircraft is that the same incident happened in 1986 at Fairchild AFB, only it was a KC-135 and the crew were practicing for a low level flyby, demonstrating air to air refueling with a B-52, which was supposed to be shown to the public at an upcoming airshow. The pilot overturned the KC-135 causing a combustion stall , which resulted in a spectacular crash, barely missing base ops tower. I was a crew chief on 135’s at the time, and we all knew it was because the pilot pushed the aircraft to hard that it crashed. Those aircraft are not fighter planes! HELLO!
    Anyway I have not been able to locate information about this crash, if anyone does, please send email :davisbri@msn.com.
    Thank you!

  15. Stewart
    May 26, 2005 at 9:49 am

    I was at the RAF Fairford Air Tattoo in 1993 when the two MIGs collided in mid air, we were walking up to the main gates literally underneath the accident when it happened. The MIG which cut across the swooping one’s flightpath hit the ground at the end of the runway IIRC, the pilot got up and walked away once he’d landed. The MIG which was left then spiralled for what seemed ages, it was a trully sureal thing to watch! It then hit the field some miles away right next to our caravan rally!

    As someone has already mentioned, everyone seemed to run towards the aircraft which hit the runway, all the MP’s were running towards the field! We tried to get back to our caravan but the whole area was surrounded by US MP’s. All photgraphy equipment was taken, the press were asking everyone for video’s etc. When we were eventually let back on the site, the area where the aircraft landed was guarded for several days afterwards. Anyone nearby was questioned, no photography permitted etc. Not much left of either aircraft, but both pilots seemed okay. All in all, it was a good airshow, lol! 😉

  16. Doomer1
    May 30, 2005 at 9:06 am

    The B-52 crash has a story behind it. My uncle is in the Air Force and showed me a news telecast about the crash. The pilot of the aircraft had a history of doing very extreme flying with the B-52 to the point that he was unsafe. His Command tried numerous times to get him grounded but was unable to convince the powers that be to stop the wreckless pilot. On that day the command did the only thing within his rights to do, he took the copilot seat and told the rest of the crew to stand down because he knew the pilot would be wreckless and didnt want to endanger anyone elses lives. It turned out to be a correct assumption because it ended with his death and that of the wreckless pilot. What is not made clear in this video but is the uncut version I have seen is the commanders wife and two sons standing next to the camera man as they watch the plane smash into the ground. The commander was posthumously awarded a medal for his actions in trying to stem the loss of life and for his sacrifice. The air force changed their process for reporting unsafe flying to prevent this from happening again in the future.

  17. Ranger69er
    June 1, 2005 at 2:37 pm

    Great clips.

    As a military chopper pilot I have some insight into two of the movie clips above.

    First: The clip with the JR towing the boat was actually a stunt shoot that went bad. The fact that the boat immediately starts it’s engines to help out is a pretty obvious give-away. This doesn’t excuse the pilot from his stupidity though.

    Second: The Sea King crash is definitely a Canadian Sea King that Crashed at an airshow in upper New York State. According to a Flight Safety video released by the Canadian Forces(for training purposes) the cause of the crash was Vortex Ring State and had absolutely nothing to do with alcohol(contrary to one comment above).
    VRS is a phenomenon that is still a bit of a mystery and is often confused with ‘settling with power.’ VRS can occur under the following circumstances:
    1/ High rate of Descent
    2/ Steep Approach Angle
    3/ Low Airspeed
    4/ Partial Power
    The Sea King was in a high hover from which the pilot let the aircraft settle thus meeting all of the above criteria. There are in theory 3 ways to recover from this if you realize what’s going on before it’s too late:
    1/ Power out with collective in the early stages if power is available. (this may cause some controversy amounst some helo pilots)
    2/ Forward cyclic to ‘dive’ out into clean air and fly away
    3/ Enter an autorotation(thus eliminating partial power)
    The above SeaKing had insufficient power for 1 and he couldn’t fly out or auto out due to the vicinity of the crowd at the airshow.
    In the end a helo pilot can learn a lot from this example of VRS.
    The only question left is what was the pilot doing in the high hover with a heavy aircraft on a hot day in the first place?

    Anyways, that’s my 2 cents(Canadian).
    Cheers,

    Ranger 69er

  18. J.T.D.
    June 10, 2005 at 8:52 am

    TIME DOCUMENTS!

    ramstein (D),spokane (USA),and rare ukraina footage.

    all pilot errors [@@]

  19. Ken
    June 16, 2005 at 6:52 am

    On the H-3 accident, it was posted that it lost a tail rotor authority. This is NOT true because if you lose tailrotor authority you will go into an alomost uncontrollable spin. The tail section broke off during impact, you will see that when you slow the video down before impact. Also usually during autorotations the pilots would have the wheels down in case they had problems, in this case the wheels were not down. You can see them up if you slow the video down right before impact. Not to say they were not shooting auto’s with the wheels up, anything is possible, but I would venture to say that they could have encountered a dual engine flame-out which is not uncommon in the T-58″s.

  20. Jurgita
    June 21, 2005 at 6:16 am

    Erm… Jurgis Kairys is from my country and he totallyn rocks i’ve actually seen him in real life in jy country………..
    Anyways dis site is good

  21. franke
    June 23, 2005 at 8:38 am

    First of all, ´scuse me if my gramma isn’t right- english is not even my second language… Second: great site!!!

    Thanks for the informations of the clips, I´ve been watching them many times without any knowledge of the :)surcomstances:)
    Anyway, I´d like to know if the crew of the Sea Knight was hurt? It seems to me that the wreckage disappears into the ocean right away…Do you have any info on this?
    I´d also like to make a tribute to you guys, who are interested in aviation/aviation crashes: From swedish tv a clip of a recent accident, one of the passengers was celebrating his 100 birthday, everyone survived:
    http://svt.se/content/1/c6/40/98/01/helikopter2.asx

  22. franke
    June 23, 2005 at 8:50 am

    I was told by a danish airforce pilot that the french Airbus was the first to attend a start and landing with no pilot at all (completely automated), so any blaim of the pilot is irrelevant… Maybe too much money spend on something that didn´t quite work, is the reason of all the secrecy about the incident…

  23. kiesha
    June 27, 2005 at 12:45 pm

    the man in last video who flyies under the bridge is Jurgis Kairys.in 2000 he flyed under all bridges in kithuania.it was great thing

  24. Mike Kearney
    July 14, 2005 at 10:37 am

    More information regarding the “darwin” hughes pilot: The helicopter was a
    Hughes 269B, FAA registration N101DN. The NTSB ID for the crash is LAX87LA190. The pilot’s name was Clive Hogg.

  25. Mohannad Ballal
    July 21, 2005 at 6:57 am

    Dear,Its a very nice site,and i think you have to update it from time to time.
    Wish you a good luck.

    Capt.Mohannad Ballal
    Dahla Aviation Compane

  26. shawn
    July 31, 2005 at 2:44 pm

    The R.C. demo was the shi-ite!!!Gotta get one now!!! Where can I find/fly one?///

  27. Jim Woods
    August 3, 2005 at 2:43 pm

    Regarding: “Anyway, I´d like to know if the crew of the Sea Knight was hurt? It seems to me that the wreckage disappears into the ocean right away…Do you have any info on this?” from franke — June 23, 2005 @ 8:38 am

    My understanding was that the entire crew was lost at sea, literally. No bodies were recovered.

  28. Woody
    August 3, 2005 at 3:02 pm

    Great site. Any way you could add missile mishaps? All those great missiles that failed to launch successfully from Vandenberg AFB and Cape Canaveral.

  29. Ron
    August 3, 2005 at 9:21 pm

    I don’t think I’d venture into missile stuff. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. But this site is more geared toward general aviation. This crash page is just a single entry I made one day, just for the heck of it.

    If you do a Google search, however, I’d bet you could find some decent footage and information on unsuccessful missile launches.

  30. Tim
    August 4, 2005 at 11:38 am

    In years of flying helos with T58-GE-5 and T58-GE-8b turboshafts I never saw or experienced a flameout.

  31. bake
    August 14, 2005 at 5:16 pm

    Great site!!! I laughed so hard at the moron flying the helicopter without any flying experience. It was like he was trying to figure out how to play a playstation game without reading the booklet, as i have done many times. At least i wasn’t putting myself in danger. Needless to say, i was glad to find out the moron wasn’t hurt.

  32. Nymon
    August 17, 2005 at 9:51 pm

    Nice forum.

  33. List
    August 18, 2005 at 6:46 am

    The guy that flew under the bridge received all special permits for such event. The bridge was insured, the plane and he too.
    And we do have minimum safe altitude rules in Lithuania (we live near Baltic sea and we prefer the term Baltic States instead of former soviet republics (Soviet Union sucked and we were part of it not by our free will. anyway, thats why we first broke away from it))
    The same happened when J.Kairys flew under the bridges of other Lithuanian city (it was Vilnius, not Kaunas btw)

  34. Mossoi
    August 20, 2005 at 6:43 pm

    Can anybody shed some light on what on earth the pilot was doing in the clip posted by franke? He must have broken every rule going!

  35. pablo
    August 28, 2005 at 12:49 pm

    Hi ABOUT THE F-15 CRASH VIDEO

    The plane it crashes with int an F-22?? pass the video slowly and check it.

    Anyway, I think the video is original and it hasnt been splitted.

    The game the next person makes reference is “Lock on” ” modern air combat” a fantastic game.

    bye bye
    /////the videos in this section ar amazing\\\\\\\\

  36. September 16, 2005 at 7:42 am

    A Spanish tourist pulled off the bridge stunt in Scotland two summers ago. He got arrested but ultimately got away with a severe verbal warning and a promise that if he ever did it again he’d be in very serious trouble!

    See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3043308.stm for details.

  37. Jason
    September 17, 2005 at 9:13 pm

    NTSB Identification: LAX87LA190 .
    The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 35617.
    14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
    Accident occurred Sunday, April 26, 1987 in RUBIDOUX, CA
    Probable Cause Approval Date: 2/17/1989
    Aircraft: HUGHES 269B, registration: N101DN
    Injuries: 1 Minor.

    A HUGHES 269B WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND DURING A T/O TO A HOVER. THE PILOT HAD PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT RECENTLY AND WAS LEARNING TO FLY IT. HE WAS SCHEDULED FOR HIS FIRST FLIGHT LESSON ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE CFI REPORTED THAT HE HAD TOLD THE STUDENT PILOT TO WAIT FOR HIM AND NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING. WHILE WAITING FOR THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, THE NON ROTORCRAFT RATED STUDENT PILOT STARTED THE AIRCRAFT, RAN IT UP TO FULL RPM, AND THEN BEGAN TO INCREASE THE COLLECTIVE PITCH CONTROL. THE HELICOPTER CLIMBED VERTICALLY TO A HIGH HOVER AND THE PILOT LOST CONTROL. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD NOT RELEASED THE CYCLIC FRICTION BEFORE BECOMING AIRBORNE. THE PILOT INDICATED HE HAD ABOUT500 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME BUT DID NOT SPECIFY THE TYPE AND NO SUBSTANTIATION OF THE TIME COULD BE MADE.

    The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

    DIRECTIONAL CONTROL..NOT MAINTAINED..DUAL STUDENT
    JUDGMENT..POOR..DUAL STUDENT
    VERTICAL TAKEOFF..UNCONTROLLED..DUAL STUDENT
    INSTRUCTIONS,WRITTEN/VERBAL..DISREGARDED..DUAL STUDENT

  38. calvin singleton
    September 25, 2005 at 10:09 am

    I think that this page is brilliant to reflect the accidents that people have been in because any loved ones they lost can proberbly be traced to this page and can be a memorial site for the dead…….

  39. Combat Medic (Retired)
    September 26, 2005 at 6:29 pm

    The second to last appears to be the Seaking crash at Schenectady, NY in 1992 (I think that was the year) if so here are the details. I was working the Medical clinic at the home base of the SeaKing (Shearwater Nova Scotia – Canada) at the time and was required to pull medical files of all the aircrew.
    The aircrew was at the airshow on the runway, they had performed a basic fly-by then parked on the side of the runway. The Air cews state that they were asked to move the aircraft as it was blocking the movement of other aircraft (this was not proven or disproven)
    As the aircraft took off and hovered at a low altitude creating a situation where the air pushed down by the rotors is deflected out and upwards by the ground and then back into the top of the rotors. This creates a suction effect (I don’t know the technical term for the effect) and the aircraft literaly gets sucked into the ground.
    I don’t remember the full complemnt on board, but there were at least 3 souls on board, Pilot, Co-Pilot, and a flight engineer or load-master who was sitting in on the edge of the loading door without any restraints (seatbelts or monkey tail) They were all taken to local hospitals, treated and returned to Canada.
    Like I said, it was over 10 years ago so I don’t recall all the details, and being a medic I didn’t understand all the technical aspects of the crash investigation.

  40. Kenny
    October 18, 2005 at 7:18 am

    Man, I look at the copter one with the news, and I realize how hard it is to flight a helicopter, especially one without a rear rotor. I’m surprised they could handle it how they did.

  41. Jake, CF Sea King Pilot
    October 21, 2005 at 11:38 am

    To set the record straight. The Sea King Crash video is from an Air Show in Schenectady NY, on 4 Aug 1991. The Sea king was
    tasked as a static display but due to a requirement to move the helo during the show and a lull in the show schedule, it was asked to do a brief demo while airborne. The crew were in the high hover (300ft) and allowed the aircraft to sink causing it to enter VORTEX RING STATE (look it up). The Ac was unable to arrest the descent and the Aircraft impacted the ground. AC, FE and Technician sustained major injuries with Cojo and Navigator sustaining minor injuries. Post accident investigation did not uncover any alcohaul related activity.

  42. peter
    October 30, 2005 at 2:32 am

    if your model plane watchers want to see something stunning go to bigboys.com and click on f14 model.keep up the good work peter.

  43. peter
    November 1, 2005 at 7:51 am

    it must be my imagination,or does jurgis kairys plane bear a resemblance to a radial engined mustang?

  44. peter
    November 8, 2005 at 3:26 am

    big boys .com now has a flying scale model b52 pretty cool until it crashes.peter

  45. Francisco Neto
    November 15, 2005 at 1:14 pm

    Hi! Watching these video push all aviators that love aviation to learn about what happen, and lead attitude and behaviour to save others lives and themselves!
    We can learn more about if we watching more videos!
    All people that know about what is showing here, should to say something about!

  46. SAC
    November 15, 2005 at 7:31 pm

    FYI on the B-52 and KC-135 – back in the Strategic Air Command days (SAC), instructor pilot candidtates in the B-52 were demonstrated air refueling at 120 degrees of bank. It can, and has been, done.

  47. Ron
    November 16, 2005 at 1:56 am

    Are you saying that the B-52 refueled while inverted? 120 degrees of bank is 30 degrees BEYOND knife edge. The aircraft would refuel while upside down?

    Even an Extra 300 flown by an accomplished aerobatic pilot would have a hard time maintaining that attitude with the requisite level of precision for any length of time.

  48. Mark J New Zealand
    November 18, 2005 at 2:36 pm

    If anyone is interested the footage of the hughes 300 crash was taken in the mid eighties. California, USA.
    The pilot (Hogg) was an experienced fixed wing pilot who had like so many of us (myself included) seen the light and decided to go rotory. The pilot had recently purchased the hughes 269c and was told by his instructor to “wait for me, I will be 10mins, dont touch anything” Well this chap could not wait and thought it would do no harm to work through the checklist eventually he’d worked right trough the checklist and got and completed to starting section and then the engaging the drive clutch which engaged the rotor blades. He even brings the engine revs up from idle to flight! Well once this done that machine is ready to fly. It is true that the H300 has a history of vibration raising the collective lever if it is left to its own devises. Well the NTSB report does include the pilot explanation to be that, sure enough, after getting this aircraft to its full ready for flight potential he was busy doing something else, (prob playing with the radios or similar) and the collective raised itself up, and away she goes.
    The footage shows the classic results of a fixed wing pilot let loose on the controls of a helicopter. The pilots response to his situation is perfectly understandable.
    Look at the footage again and you will see the sequence:
    1, A/c gets very light on its skids as collective slides ever up wards, note its desire to yaw to the right as torque reaction increases.
    2, a/c lifts off pilot grabs cyclic (joystick looking control) and pushes forwards to try and get the machine “down”, well do this to a helo and it thinks you want to ‘go fly’ which it promtly does!!
    3 A/c moves forward and climbs then pilot reacts to the right turn by banking hard to the left and genrally ‘chases’ the machine around the sky.
    4 Pilot finally gathers his thoughts to start using the collective (up/down lever) which has until now had free range to do its own thing. The pilot obviously dumps the collective down which immediately stops the rh spin and starts to bring the machine downwards.
    5 A/c gets very close to the ground so pilot ‘flares’ his machine (as you would in a fixed wing) well this is done to late and to low.
    6 A/c tail rotor strikes ground and desintigrates
    7 A/c, now deprived of its anti torque rotor, spins on the spot quickly swiping off its remaining tali boom and main skids.
    8 Engine still valiantly tries to drive the rotors which are now sadly floppinging scrap metal

    The pilot was apparently almost completely uninjured except for a cut to his left hand. This really does prove how safe helicopters can be as long as you deliver them to the ground with a very low rate of descent and a low forward airspeed as amazingly this guy did. The results are not pretty but he does litterally walk away minus 1 servicable helicopter and a large chunck of cash.

    PS if you ever find yourself in proximity of a crashing helicopter, hit the deck!!!, becuase the energy in those rotaing parts will deal you a very nasty and usually terminal blow if they come your way. I have heard of a Jetranger rotor blade departing its grip and promptly pass through a barn door, through a motorcycle petrol tank, through the back of the barn before lodging arrow like in a tree 5ft beyond!!

  49. S
    December 1, 2005 at 6:26 am

    LOL what funny videos

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