Could’ve been asymmetrical reversing that pulled them off course.
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Yep, that sounds plausible.
I thought it was fast taxiing and thought WTF?!
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That’s gotta be it. Famously tight runway. Hard reverse and brakes. If either goes asymmetrical it would be mentally challenging to stop braking.
The helicopter stood its ground nobly.
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Tough week for helicopters. This was the last of two R22s remaining at the flight school where I got my rating. And before I continue let me say that the school is terrific, well-run and somehow consistently staffed by an ever rotating but always enthusiastic and professional team of CFIs.
I flew this helicopter last week. Nicest flying R22 I’ve flown yet.
(screenshot of a news feed from my phone)
Sole occupant was an Israeli CPL student who was killed instantly.
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Ouch!
Hurts a bit extra, when it’s that close, doesn’t it?
Any idea what caused it?
No idea. The student was in the country just briefly to get his heli CPL add-on. Quite experienced with fixed wing. Airline pilot in Israel. He had just taken off. If I had to guess, given his age (44) and background and the fact that he had been airborne just 4 minutes, I’d say mechanical failure of some sort. Of course I hope that’s not the case. The owner of the school has become a friend and the helicopter, a design I trust. The mechanic, Joe, is another friend. He is an experienced Army mechanic and civilian CFI. He also is a glider tow pilot at my airport. So that is another reason I strongly hope that it wasn’t a mechanical failure. Helicopters all fly a little differently. Of course airplanes do too, but those unique qualities to each machine are more pronounced in helicopters I find. This one was the smoothest R22 of the four I’ve flown.
In the photo it looks like the rotor is only collapsed but not damaged in the way I would expect a rotor turning at 500 rpm to look.
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I’ve heard this multiple times. It actually is a genuine concern of mine.
I’m what i would call “mechanical” and this stuff really worries me. Not so much with older, high use vehicles like my flight schools motorgliders, eurofox and gliders. things warp with age, cables are different tolerances, things arent built to be invincible to use.
But when i get in 2 brand new lorries and one drives completely differently. Such as a fully automatic, digital gearbox changing at different speeds or engine brakes working less effectively from one to the other it really is a concern over quality
Ive heard from different helicopter people about massive differences in flight characteristics from machine to machine and it has always given me pause to think about the interaction of moving parts and structures on them and I dont like it
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It was more of a concern for me at the beginning than it is now. But it is a fact of helicopters. The tolerances for various adjustable bits in the rotorhead and tailrotor assembly are at thousandths of an inch. But the variations in handling nearly always come from the legal .002 versus the legal .005. Once I was taught that, I began to associate new control forces and vibrations as settings within tolerance, not wear and tear. So I think with helicopters you just need to be sensitive to change. But I get it. If I weren’t so fascinated with them, I’d probably run for the hills. A relatively smart dog can understand my Pitts. I still don’t fully understand helicopters!
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You can fly fast. Or you can pull hard. But you can’t do both.
Also, gender reveals are society at its stupidest.
The version if the video I saw a few days ago stopped at the confetti cannon. The video above shows how the person filming blew off the crash to capture the reaction of the proud new parents. Classic!
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RIP 
regarding the unique qualities of each helicopter.
one thing is when noticed on two brand new pieces [we can surely talk quality], other when noticed on two used ones. especialy used for training.
one thing are the tolerancies. but these are noticeable also on planes, as already mentioned.
other thing is that helicopters are mechanicaly more complex than planes.
so the diferent tolerancies can and will demonstrate it self at more places along the machine.
plus the rotors are of diferent sizes than propellers so you can imagine how even slight diferencies in size and weight can affect the overal feeling.
still all legal variations as you put it smokinhole 
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This is why it is so hard to get an ICAS low altitude waiver in the US. Maneuvers that are a cinch at altitude become hard in the stress of being close to the ground. He had the smash. But he let the nose drop instead of pushing as he got inverted. He then tried to pull out of the dive and snap-rolled in. It was a crash that’a been repeated dozens of times. My guess (having almost made the same mistake) is that he wasn’t planning on doing the roll until he pulled up following the pass and made a fateful decision on the fly, so to speak.
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Engine failure and emergency landing at Reno.
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Will need to go back and look at the final standings but I think Dreadnought won the unlimited race the last 2 or 3 years.
Wheels
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One hell of a field landing
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Wow!
The funniest part is they’re already throwing the pilots under the bus:
However, Russian aviation experts said there are back-up systems and disputed the crew’s decision to make the landing.
“There are three hydraulic systems, one electric,” pilot Andrei Litvinov told Gazeta.ru of the A320. “There is no need to land the plane in a field.”
He added the decision endangered the lives of those on board and on the ground.
Does he think the crew did what they did because they thought it would be fun?
ETA:
In March, the Russian media outlet Vedomosti quoted Ural Airlines official Igor Poddubny as saying that it had about three months before they began breaking up planes for parts.
However, Mr Skuratov maintained that all of his airline’s planes were serviced with genuine parts.
“We will never allow incorrect spare parts to be used,” Mr Skuratov said. "It’s difficult, with a fight, but all the spare parts used on our aircraft are certified.
“I stake my head on it.”
I hope he avoids any hospital or high-rise windows in the near future.
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I was going to make a poor taste quip about lack of fluid… but damn, hats off to the crew for getting everyone off safely.
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My thoughts too. I don’t know what really happened, but they did what they did because they felt it was necessary. Nobody stuffs an airbus into a field for kicks and grins.
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Yeah, because a total loss of hydraulics can’t possibly happen…
Not saying that happened here, but it may have been what the crew tried to prevent. Maybe they were looking at a diminishing hyd reservoir…? The aircraft may have had open remarks in the tech log even before this that we don’t know anything about. Or, they may have screwed the pooch. Time and investigation will tell. If we get to know the answer is another matter entirely… 
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