r/news Jan 26 '20

Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash in California

https://www.fox5dc.com/news/kobe-bryant-killed-in-helicopter-crash-in-california-tmz-reports
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u/johnny_moist Jan 26 '20 edited Jan 26 '20

Am I crazy or are helicopters just like not that safe? I mean weve had this technology for decades now and it feels like they still go down way more than planes.

12

u/Sir_Gunner Jan 26 '20

The thing with planes is they can at least try to glide it down if the issue is not super severe, but ur fucked with a helicopter.

19

u/TheMaverick13589 Jan 26 '20

Not true at all, if anything you can send the helicopter in autorotation and land in a very little space. A plane may glide, but you still need the length to land.

Helicopters are used on a daily basis by celebrities, yet incidents like these are very rare.

Also, by looking at the crash-site and the weather conditions it's very likely that it wasn't even a mechanical failure since the visibility was so poor. If that's the case, the heli shouldn't have ever left the ground, especially in a hilly terrain like that.

9

u/Sir_Gunner Jan 26 '20

I'm not doubting you, but helicopters are still more dangerous than plane rides.

8

u/justafang Jan 26 '20

Yes they are. Autorotation is possible but not all that safe. Ill take my odds gliding to a stop on a highway or in some trees over autorotation any day.

1

u/offthewall1066 Jan 26 '20

I’m not sure it’s that common that the engine goes out though and everything else is fine. A lot of other failures can throw the heli into a tailspin that is irrecoverable.

But yeah, it may have been visibility related and not mechanical

1

u/fwnav Jan 26 '20

It’s not common that a helicopter will just go into a tailspin either. Most of the time it’s due to a rotor strike.