Helicopter crashes after tail rotor strikes ground - GIF

A Hughes 500C helicopter crashes after its tail rotor strikes the ground during the 1986 Wairapa Airshow in New Zealand.

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Previously:

https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...305#post192312
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...336#post188745
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...247#post180844
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...632#post178233
https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...508#post173839

Hot dogging a heli too close to the ground. "Nothing to panic over." Hope the pilot got lucky.

They soon fall apart.

Not to sure he was hot dogging it. To me it looked like there may have been more wind than the pilot expected, or he was not highly experienced or there was a mechanical issue, which could have been a combination of all 3. I nearly did something like that once in an old Bell 47g with the Army Warrant officer instructor sitting beside me

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frank S

Not to sure he was hot dogging it. To me it looked like there may have been more wind than the pilot expected, or he was not highly experienced or there was a mechanical issue, which could have been a combination of all 3. I nearly did something like that once in an old Bell 47g with the Army Warrant officer instructor sitting beside me

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Don't understand why you are making excuses for the pilot. I was hoping you were critical observer.

I'm just basing my comment about hot dogging, based on what I observe in the video. If that wasn't hot dogging, then I can't believe my lyin' eyes, as the expression goes. If you will notice something (barrel?) zipping across the field before someone exists the cabin, it's obvious someone was playing games with the heli.

Too windy? Then, why didn't the wind blow away the lingering dust cloud after impact?

Not experienced? Pilot was experienced enough to, almost, fly at a 45º, nose down angle, before stabilizing to set it down to let passenger out.

Mechanical issue? It was on the ground... if mechanical, then why would the pilot lift off, again? Do you think the collective and cyclic got stuck at the same time? Appears pilot pulled too much cyclic, and not enough collective.

Hate to get picky, here, Frank, but what indication do you see that tells you it was too windy for the pilot? Enquiring minds want to know.

I'll concede he may have been playing kick the can from the vantage point of the camera which leads to the experience level not many experienced pilots would toss their bird into such a death wobble after coming in as hot as he did unless the cyclic was loose IE low resistive friction or there was a sudden gust of wind.
Out here where I live we can sometimes watch our flag stand straight out to the point of flexing the pole then go completely slack and remain like that for over 2 minutes then do the same thing all over again A neighbor about 3 miles from me has a micro weather station that records and sends reports he has shown me charts of winds in the nearly calm range 3to7MPH with brief micro gusts of over 25MPH during times like those it drives his hobby wind turbine crazy.
Again though what experienced would ever poll back hard on the cyclic while taking off? While he might pull back slightly if there was some reason not to advance forward as he lifted off,
But your are right though in some respect noted in the way he pulled way back on the cyclic to arrest his forward speed when coming in his tail nearly hit the ground then Who does that, that close to the ground? One thing is for sure neither of us were there so everything ZI say is purely speculation on my part and it has been around 45 years since I have even sat in a chopper of any kind