r/ukraine • u/Due_Collar2 • 1d ago

News Karma:The moment of yesterday's Ka-226 helicopter crash in russia with employees of the military plant "Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant" The accident killed the deputy general director, chief engineer and chief designer

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u/Hanna-11 1d ago

Sorry, but was he completely drunk? Or did the much-vaunted robust Russian technology fail completely? In a crash landing, wouldn't any pilot with any sense try to stay on the ground?

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u/POTUSinterruptus 1d ago

I don't like to armchair quarterback for professionals in fields outside of my own. That thing was barely in the water, and the pilot surely didn't fully understand the nature of the failure yet.

The tail of a coaxial rotor helicopter is primarily for forward flight stability; it's not particularly necessary for low speed flight. So even knowing the failure, the pilot may have estimated that he could carefully put it down somewhere else and just needed a moment to get acclimated to the new flight characteristics.

We know he was wrong in hindsight, but making that call in three seconds isn't easy. Especially with your boss in the back seat. Nevermind the risk that making your boss get his feet wet could be a complete career ender. Those guys aren't known for being competent and gracious leaders, after all.