• WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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    13 days ago

    I know nothing about helicopters, but can’t you autorotate down and increase your chances of not dying in a situation like this? I thought that’s what they were doing before they pitched forward and immediately died.

    OK helicopter nerds, destroy me.

    • Red_October@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      This idiot fucked up a perfectly operational helicopter in clear conditions at a safe altitude. There is exactly zero chance he could have safely managed an autorotation landing. And he wouldn’t need to anyway, autorotation helps if the engine fails, but it was clearly still under power.

    • clif@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      I also know nothing about helicopters but I bet the answer is “yes… If you know how” with a follow up of “and they did not”

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Yup, to be fair it is entirely possible the damaged part made maintaining the proper descent impossible.

    • this_1_is_mine@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      To be fair it actually was Auto rotating down until the nose pitch down and it lost all the lift that it was generating and it wasn’t until then that it then pitched straight down and slammed right into the ground face first

      • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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        13 days ago

        Yeah that’s why I thought that was what they were doing, and then, instead, they abruptly decided to die.

        I’m beginning to suspect they didn’t know that they were doing.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      What clif said. Autorotation isn’t just something that happens. You still have to balance the helicopter (for lack of a better term in my head.) They did not.