The Chernobyl Helicopter Crash: The Untold Story

Few moments in the story of the liquidation of Chernobyl are as well known as the helicopter crash of October 2nd, 1986. It is to the point that, in the HBO miniseries, the creators of the show moved it from October to April 27th just so they could include a recreation of the shot in their show and use it to highlight the dangers of flying into the radioactive emissions emanating from Reactor Four.

I want to talk today, this video releasing on the 37th anniversary of the crash, about the victims of the crash, and to bring their story to light.

Timestamps:
00:00: Introduction.
00:37: From One Battle to Another.
02:39: Cup-2.
05:54: Down in Flames.
09:11: Eternal Legacy.

[frankielove]

The people who went into Chernobyl knowing that they were going to die because of the job they had to do were true heroes and deserve much more recognition and respect from us all

[redacted]

R.I.P to those men and every other person who went to Chernobyl and passed away because of radiation poisoning

[castorcanadensis]

About 20 years ago, a nurse friend treated one of the pilots here in Seattle, where he came for a marrow transplant for the leukemia that resuted from his Chernobyl flights.

[maximusflightymus]

Another great upload, keep them coming, i am in awe of these people who made such a sacrifice to try to rectify the problem, we should never forget.

[ssenssel]

The liquidators were better man than most of us will ever have a chance to be. RIP all of them.

[thomasfx]

What a terrible day, in the USA we only saw this footage years later, but it wasn’t any less horrible. These guys were very brave and it’s a shame they were serving in such dangerous circumstances.

[christophercaporal]

The liquidators are true heroes. So many have been forgotten.

[ZombieSazza]

So many forgotten heroes, thanks for telling us all their stories and making sure their legacy and ultimate sacrifices survive through your channel.
Greetings from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[swokatsamsiyu]

Another very well done video, but I have to politely disagree on some things. In "Chernobyl" episode 2 where they recreate the crash, you can actually see the main rotor hit the crane cable, followed by the helicopter crash as the rotor disintegrates. If you watch very closely, you can see the hook/cable of the crane fall down with the helicopter. In the accompanying official podcast that goes with each episode, Craig Mazin, the HBO series creator, explained why he moved the crash. Not only had it to do with the limited run time of each episode, he absolutely wanted to honour their sacrifice when he learned of it. The only way he could do that is to move the crash to an earlier date.

[guardianofthebears]

Thank you for covering their story. I've watched a number of videos on Chernobyl and never heard of this crash until now.

[dousiastailfeather]

Never knew this aspect of the cleanup... Nice presentation! Clean and to the point!

[IARRCSim]

The Chernobyl series focused completely on the radiation effects when they showed the crash. They showed the crane cables getting hit but all dialogue was about the dangers of radiation as the helicopter crashed and even after. They framed the crash like it was completely caused by the radiation and the crane was just something it crashed into after the helicopter was completely doomed. It is nice to see the true story behind that crash.

[MarvinHartmann]

The liquidators saved the European continent. I wish they could be honoured accordingly instead of hidden away and living poorly. This is a shame.

[Szederp]

It is insane that once one quits watching Hollywood movies he / she learns of real heroes and that life neither just nor unjust, it is just life. Thank you for honoring these men. Greetings from Central Europe.

[marshalltravis]

I remember Chernobyl very well. I was stationed in West Germany in 1986 and it was very sobering to see our chemical weapons guys outside taking air and ground samples…

[hawker]

Thanks for making a video about this it’s really interesting and a sad untold story

[robert-trading-as-Bob]

Those men were our enemies in the Cold War, but no one can deny their bravery and sacrifice.
As disastrous as Chernobyl was, it showed a human side to the Soviets we hadn't seen before or been allowed to see.
As an ex-military veteran, I salute their outstanding efforts.

[razor]

My new favorite channel. Been listening to the history of Chernobyl for like 12 years now and it's what got me into nuclear topics and this is the first I'm hearing of this

[BigElCat]

Salute to all the helicopters pilots who perished fighting Chernobyl. It's odd that the Cup formation was ordered to re-group after one of the two crashed. The surviving pilot was probably thinking 'how the heck can we re-group' ?

[C-Husky]

great video, you earned a subscriber. RIP to all of the people who did these heroic acts