Apache crash in Afghanistan

[Guest pookemon]

Oh so lucky...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDOCh6QWQm8

 

 

[Deskpilot]

Some think it might have been to a miscalculation of lift due to thin air in those mountains. Don't know what altitude they're at but.

 

Pilots is deep sh*t anyway.

 

 

[Tex]

OOPS! The pull up on the first run through was really ineffective, which indicates pretty high density altitude to me... he certainly miscalculated the round out, all factors considered (or not). Over pitched maybe? But doesn't really look like it and it appears he was travelling a bit too fast for Vortex Ring State. That is some great footage!

 

Official cause likely to be: He just f&*$#d up!

 

 

[Guernsey]

Any landing that you can walk away from...................

 

Alan.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Pretty spectacular stuff up !!..................................................................Maj...

 

 

[Tomo]

oops!

 

 

[rick-p]

Good grief rather than bag the pilot how about maybe it was a mechanical failure. Remember there are more moving parts on one of those things than Paris Hiltons personal accessories. Those things only fly because they are so ugly the earth repels them!

 

 

[rick-p]

Have another look at the video and pay particular attention to the main rotor blades angle!

 

I'll say no more.

 

 

[Tex]

Have another look at the video and pay particular attention to the main rotor blades angle!I'll say no more.

I can't see what you mean. Pitch of the blades individually or angle of the disc?

 

 

[rick-p]

The blade pitch looks wrong to me, maybe it's just my eyes but it appears as if something isn't right or is broken!

 

 

[winsor68]

[Jaba-who]

Quote"The blade pitch looks wrong to me, maybe it's just my eyes but it appears as if something isn't right or is broken!"

 

Big problem with watching a video is you get lots of distortions due to frame/ shutter rate artifacts etc. So what might appear as something on video might not have been even present in the real event.

 

The second sequence just before impact shows what appears to be a marked coning angle ( blades lifting up at the tips) suggesting pulling pitch but it's not a huge amount.

 

But beyond that I'd be reluctant to say much more than that he didn't flare which is the usual preceding event before pulling pitch and over pitching.

 

All very odd.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

He was probably waving at the camera and forgot about his altitude.

 

 

[facthunter]

If he wanted to be spectacular , he certainly did it. Nev

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

Back in the days when I was a young flight fitter on helicopters, I remember my Dad said I should get off them for they were so hungry there was no money left over for the men working on them.

 

I said, "But Dad, they're fantastic aeroplanes and so much fun to fly around in."

 

My Dad said, "Son, helicopters don't fly. They flagellate. They're a confidence trick being pulled on gravity. And they're as similar to an aeroplane as a blow fly is to an eagle."

 

It scarred me for live...

 

 

[facthunter]

Might've saved your life. Blowfly to an eagle. Good! There's more in that than meets the eye. Profound. Nev

 

 

[Jaba-who]

What amazes me is how much inertia is left in those blades after the initial strike. He slammed into the ground and skidded for some time bounced and then still enough inertia in the rotors to take off again.

 

Looking at some more and thinking about it. In his pullup he initiated a left turn - which in a clockwise rotating rotor usually requires dropping the collective as well as a big boot of left pedal. (sort of an ANTI-torque turn ) so when he dropped out of the turn I recken he had bugger all power and it just couldn't spool up quick enough to resist the very rapid descent. I agree with someone earlier who said he was going too fast to get into a vortex ring.

 

Hope they survived! Anyone know the outcome?

 

 

[Guest pookemon]

The description of the video on GooTube says that no-one on the ground was injured and "both pilots survived" - but then quite often the descriptions are complete FUD so take that with a grain of salt. The Apache is a flying brick house - so I wouldn't be surprised if they walked away (assuming they didn't compress their spine into their boots).

 

This article seems to contain a bit more information - but the statement that the crew could face charges makes me suspicious of it's accuracy - I could believe that the Pilot could face charges - but not the WO.

 

 

[facthunter]

There is a tendency to involve the crew as a whole. The pilot does not just do these things on his own. I think that's the thought music. Nev

 

 

[flying dog]

Me thinks he pulled back on the Cyclic rather than the collective.