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mikelo22 t1_je8widq wrote

It sure seems like I hear about these things crashing all the time. This is the 21st century, and this is still the best we can come up with?

−55

CatLords t1_je8wp8i wrote

Army Aviation seems particularly dangerous compared to the other branches.

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xiacexi t1_je8x9j4 wrote

How did they collide, wth?

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IDropFatLogs t1_je90dgx wrote

Replying to mikelo22 (#2,476,750)

When I was in the Army working on helicopters Blackhawks had the name crashhawk or lawn dart. Actually is a very good airframe we just have a ton of them and that translates to more mishaps.

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Edgygimp t1_je9avxn wrote

That's worrying. Not to be all doom n gloom but helicopter crashes are quite often lethal.

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29daysuntiltacos t1_je9j3vr wrote

Wasn’t there a Blackhawk crash in Alabama a month or two ago as well or am I thinking of something else?

Tragic to have this happen, I hope the families can find some peace

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sagaxwiki t1_je9k50b wrote

Replying to CatLords (#2,476,789)

Besides the fact that helicopters are inherently less safe than fixed wing aircraft, they also tend to operate nearer to the ground giving pilots less time to react when something goes wrong. The other services also have relatively frequent rotary wing accidents, but the Army has a lot more helicopters and this more accidents.

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Klutzy-Addition5003 t1_je9mi8o wrote

I remember turning on the news to see a similar article about a military training accident. My ex husband was in the location of the accident and I had known he was training the night prior when the accident happened. I waited for hours crying my eyes out to hear word. He ended up being fine, physically but was traumatized forever after the incident.

It still baffles me that I found out he might be dead from an article like this. We have been divorced for almost 10 years now and I still think about it whenever I see these news stories.

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LeicaM6guy t1_je9onu1 wrote

Just a heads up - if you know anything about who was involved, this isn't the place to talk about it.

It'd be really shitty to find out your family member died on Reddit.

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Jeffery_G t1_je9r8ps wrote

We got to jump from a Blackhawk years ago. I respect the aircraft and hope for the best outcomes for these troops.

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DIDiMISSsomethin t1_je9voqr wrote

I feel like I see more military crashing aircraft from routine training exercises than in combat. Does anyone know if there's data on that?

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CW1DR5H5I64A t1_je9vx3f wrote

Replying to Edward_Snowcone (#2,484,389)

The Osprey has one of the safest flight records of any airframe. They had a rough patch when they were initially adopted, but that was mostly pilot error. Once they got better training programs it has not had issues.

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Boat-Putrid t1_jea0bs8 wrote

Replying to LeicaM6guy (#2,482,528)

>Just a heads up - if you know anything about who was involved, this isn't the place to talk about it. > >It'd be really shitty to find out your family member died on Reddit.

Get off your high horse - it's shitty finding out no matter the source

−63

__Arty__ t1_jea45hy wrote

Replying to Edward_Snowcone (#2,485,262)

That was a big thing during the initial trials of the Osprey. It had a handful of really high profile accidents and the media reported it as this insane death trap that killed anyone that looked at it.

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GreenStrong t1_jea8bzi wrote

Replying to DIDiMISSsomethin (#2,484,428)

There is data on it. Helicopters are inherently dangerous, and they have to practice flying low and fast in the dark, and inserting troops in dense groups. If they don't practice those things, they'll face increased risks on the battlefield. That isn't to say they can't do better with safety, but they have a bona fide need to practice dangerous flying.

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Buschwerks t1_jea97hb wrote

Tis a reason we call them crash hawks im the Army....

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pandas795 t1_jeaad41 wrote

It's been reported they were no survivors 💔

2

unlolful t1_jeafn0b wrote

Replying to sessafresh (#2,485,471)

On one of my first trips out to sea on the Abraham Lincoln we were prepping for a future deployment. We had some of the air group on board and we were practicing night ops off the San Diego coast. I had spent enough time listening to the catapults to know how they sound they make. I was lin my bunk and trying to get some sleep/rest which is difficult to do with that shit happening. On deployment you're often so damn tired you learn to sleep thru it. So I'm just laying in the bunk and notice the sound of that catapult wasnt right. A few seconds later and alarms start going off. An F18 was being launched and we had a cold cat situation. Guy never got enough speed to get the plane in the air. He went right into the drink. We spent quite a while searching for him along with other boats in the battle group but I don't think he was ever found. Still live in San Diego and I've talked with some former navy pilots and they all relate. I don't remember the guys name but a lot of those older pilots say they probably knew him.

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Rs90 t1_jeag9dg wrote

Replying to bakachog (#2,479,464)

God I love the internet. In a single comment we jumped from "alien robot insect" to "engine module" lol. Like jumpin from mysticism to aeronautics instantly.

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Pollymath t1_jeams68 wrote

Replying to -Raskyl (#2,486,882)

Probably because they don't spend as much time loitering, and the can taxi without being off the ground. From what I hear, V-22 pilots really do respect their craft far more than any other pilot because the vehicles scare the shit of them.

Our local small airport is a frequent stop-over for many military aircraft and last time I watched a group of Blackhawk and Apache take off together they taxied, in the air, on a path usually used by fixed wing, including turns, then ran down the runway at low alt before taking off...again, like fixed wing.

While it was cool, it just seemed kind of unnecessary.

Helos are fucking badass but I have some concerns about how much we use them for mundane training tasks, especially in groups.

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Ancient_Artichoke555 t1_jean9m8 wrote

Woah🫣

Condolences and empathy to the families who’s loved one is not returning home to them.

3

mr_potatoface t1_jeaniba wrote

Replying to DedRonin (#2,487,636)

Y'all are making other readers feel really confident in our aviation mechanics, I'm sure. Air supply? Fuel supply? Who knows? Who cares? Mechanics don't fly, once it gets out of the bay it's someone elses problem.

0

BancheroBot t1_jeanudx wrote

Replying to Rs90 (#2,489,931)

Well, certain parts of the internet. Don't think the youtube comment section would have been able to make the jump from comment 1 to comment 2

On youtube, I bet comment 1 would have sparked a 3 way argument about complete bullshit with all 3 people being wrong

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blaze92x45 t1_jeb50jz wrote

The UH60 is a pretty old airframe at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if after 2 decades of a failing war put way too much stress on the airframe. That and maintenance slip ups could be to blame for the crash. But given it was two blackhawks it's possible it was a mid air collision.

That said we should wait for the crash report before coming to conclusions.

0

jtmarshiii t1_jebg46c wrote

Replying to sagaxwiki (#2,481,356)

Good thing they do training runs in the middle of towns and cities... I wish they'd stop. Someone posted a drill being run in the heart of San Diego? and all I thought was one of these birds is going to go down and take out a apartment.

−2

jtmarshiii t1_jebgxkp wrote

Replying to Pollymath (#2,491,597)

Unnecessary to follow airport traffic patterns? Hate to fly to that airport if I didn't know where or how aircrafter where departing. If a small uncontrolled airport its more important since unaware pilots have no tower to tell you that a heli just jumped up and took off from the apron.

Happens at my airport with private helos and paramotors all the time and it sucks. You line up for departure and you see out of the corner of your eye something taking off and cutting near the runway. Yes, I have reported them to FAA for what it is worth.

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Arrantsky t1_jebi61x wrote

Love Hate relationship with helicopters in general and the Blackhawk in particular. Rode the Black bus in Iraq, it was better than convoys. Still feel nervous when I smell hydraulic fluid.

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MNWNM t1_jec4ozc wrote

Replying to deaddonkey (#2,479,765)

To be fair, the Black Hawk that crashed last month in Alabama was an A model, which hasn't been produced since 1989. It was flown and maintained by a National Guard division, which often gets hand-me-downs from the Army. For a helicopter this old, its safety is largely dependent on how well it's maintained. Parts do degrade and break.

The helicopter that crashed today was an HH-60, a Medevac model. They collided in the air under NVG conditions, which is inherently dangerous because of the limited scope of viewing range due to the goggles. A collision like this doesn't reflect poorly on the safety of the airframe itself, but I would question if any C&W (caution and warning) systems alerted the pilots of the imminent collision. Investigators will also be looking heavily into the pilot's training record, and if proper flight protocols were followed leading up to the crash.

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Sir-Kevly t1_jechotq wrote

It's almost as if it's not a good idea to keep using helicopters from the 70's.

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gif_smuggler t1_jecoed2 wrote

Waiting for the Flight Channel video to drop on YouTube.

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C-c-c-comboBreaker17 t1_jed8r64 wrote

Replying to DIDiMISSsomethin (#2,499,926)

Transport helicopters are dangerous. Fly a lot of helicopters and have them do dangerous maneuvers and eventually you'll have a crash. In an actual war you expect to lose helicopters basically constantly. They're buses for the troops, and they're not meant to be particularly survivable.

Hell, we expected to lose basically every A-10 warthog in minutes if the US went to war with the Soviet Union. And helicopters are slower, fly lower, and they're more fragile.

Of course, none of that would've mattered. The idea was that the conventional war would probably only last until the nukes started to fall.

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