Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Flew Into the Mountain at 185 MPH

Speculation on my part, but wondering if Bryant decided they were going, fog or no fog? Because it was "his call" and his money.

I understand most IFR rated Helos have autopilots that can hover. Another pilot board was saying that it's very common to have commercial helo pilots with IFR ratings but they don't maintain the currency in the rating and the outcome often looks like this and the mishap in NYC last year but I'm not a helo guy.

Many pilots here die because someone "has to" go somewhere. It is commonly referred to as "dying to get somewhere." I have lost friends because of it...

The live leak video showed the bird spinning before impact - that is because the tail rotor is missing. What few pictures there were, the tail rotor mast was separated from the main wreckage by quite some distance, which indicates that it separated from the helicopter in flight.

Non pilot, but the second I heard about it being a helicopter crash I wondered about fog. Made me think o the Stevie Ray Vaughn crash leaving Alpine Valley in a copter after a concert in the fog.

Also have to wonder if the pilot knew better but because there were so many people and kids present for a helicopter ride that he went against his better judgement and took off anyway.

Can you post a link to the live leak?

Pretty foggy, someone actually has video, good enough to discern a missing tail rotor?

The tail rotor separated from the fuselage in flight? What in the world? How can that happen? Did they hit a power line or a tree to cause that?

I don't like it when other people drive. Imagine how I feel about trusting my life to a complete stranger in an aircraft.

I already posted it. Turns out it was a vid of a crash in the Middle East that someone deliberately mislabeled.

Sounds like the best way to fly in fog is SFOG (stay feet on the ground).

Most likely story - but they'll figure it out.

Waiting on the video

The pilot cant see chit because of fog, but people on the ground can see his missing tail rotor. Interesting development.

Didnt the Deep State's MSM tell us a week ago Mr Peanuts death would be the focus of the Super Bowl halftime show? Hummm.

I will never fly in a chopper again, ever.
Fighting forest fires up here in the mountains I have been on some terrifying rides including one time landing in the dark, that was the last time. My friend a heli logger pilot used to laugh at me when I would relate my fear of flying in a chopper, then something mechanical happened to his chopper and now he is dead too.

I do not have a link to the liveleak, if it was mislabeled, my apologies. It still does not account for the tail rotor mast to be separated from the main wreckage. That was the biggest thing that caught my attention and several things can account for that - metal fatigue, wire strike, and even a main rotor blade separation. I lost an HH-53 and 7 crewmembers when a main blade separated from the rotor and the tail boom was torn off by the ensuing vibration (in building the time line, we figured that the tail separated about 15 seconds after the main rotor separated). The only thing is that the NTSB will be on it and will figure it out. That is the only way we will know.

Yep and with the boom separated from the main body if it was a wire strike or other impact it will be very obvious on the pieces.

That video has been labeled as false footage by other internet resources. That parts of the chopper were largely separated from the main crash site does not in and of itself mean they separated in flight.

For what it's worth, CFIT is not an instantaneous departure from life. Clouds and fog are one and the same, the crew will see terrain before they impact, and react to it. Passengers may or may not see what is happening, but they will be aware of the pilot's attempt at corrective action and experience initial impact and likely the resulting gyrations. Not saying it isn't quick, but they are aware of their looming departure.

How would I know? Because I've background in aircraft accident investigations and with specificity, this type of accident. Got to pick thru the pieces of the puzzle for one of my roommates in '71 among others. Their flight path prior to final impact was typical and reflects that a) they saw the mountain at the last moment and b) tried to climb without success. The impact trail thru the trees reflected about 100' of climb before the main rotor was demolished and led to a smoking hole in the mountain side.

Question was asked earlier as to why the pilot didn't hover for a bit rather than continue flying? Fair question on one part, but in general terms hovering out of ground effect (close to ground) is not a brilliant strategy for choppers. OTOH, flying at greatly reduced speed, say 20-25 knots is viable and an approach we used in the mountains of Nam many times....successfully. Tree top to tree top in the fog works. It works better here in the USA because nobody it likely to be shooting at you while doing such silly things.

I was under the impression that the pilot was flying by sight in zero viz conditions and flew into a mountain at 185 mph.

i've seen some vid footage that was probably not legit.

CFIT may be the final description, but I doubt the copter was going 185 mph at the time. Apparently, there is a CVR, but no FDR.

Apparently the LA County Sheriff’s helicopters were all grounded at the time of the crash because of weather conditions.