Helicopter Crash Hudson River | Mast Bumping Explained

How did this Bell 206 helicopter end up crashing with its own rotor blades slicing through the tail section and then separating from the main fuse sahlarge.

We’ll break down the detailed timeline of events, along with several theories behind the crash and one stands out the most:

This is Mast bumping—a dangerous event where the rotor hub strikes the mast, often caused by abrupt control inputs or low-G maneuvers.

Not to Forget The Recorded Conversation of the Air Controllers until it Crashes

The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engine helicopters manufactured by Bell Helicopter Company.

Introduced in the 1960s, Its siblings were widely used during the Vietnam War, as well as in military and law enforcement roles.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board and various aviation safety databases, It's a pretty safe aircraft

The accident rate is roughly 3.5 to 4.0 per 100,000 flight hours, which is typical for light helicopters in this class.

#helicoptercrash #hudsonrivercrash #hudsonriver

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[Aitelly]

Correction: It's a twin main rotor blade
We also used a 407 model :(
credits: @BrianEberth

[mikeybobw]

I've been a mechanic on Bell 206 helicopters for 30+ yrs. I am also a Rotorwing Pilot. Never have I seen a Mast Bump do this in the way your describing. The Tailboom has a history of cracks occurring at the fuselage attach point. So much so that an AD (mandatory inspection) exist for all models of the 206. If the tailbone snapped off, the sudden change of forward CG would likely cause an abrupt aft control movement by the pilot, which THEN could cause exactly what happened. The speed and smooth descent of the rotor system tends to steer me away from a rotor/tailbone strike. The sheer would have been likely behind the Horz. Stabilizer, and not at the attach point, which is very clear. I know the Louisiana based owners of this helicopter. My former company leased and purchased several helicopters from them. Nothing but professional, and quality work in refurbishing and continued maintenance. I would fly their equipment ANYDAY. The opinion here is strictly my own and was discussed between myself and several mechanics and pilots with years in these birds. We all agree to this!...Let the NTSB DO THEIR JOB! They are the best at what they do!.

[lyleparadise]

One problem with the mast bumping theory is that one video shows that the transmission is still attached to the main rotor as it separates from the fuselage. Most helicopter pilots i've heard interviewed say that means it is most likely not mast bumping, but some other catastrophic event. Best to just wait until the NTSB gives their preliminary report.

[seandelaney]

Great to see the first comments disagreeing with mast bumping as that is unlikely speculation. Better speculation would be a transmission seizure.

[dinarsaurus]

As a helicopter pilot I can affirm this accident was NOT caused by mast bumping.

[Alan-hrlu]

100% NOT mast bumping. 4K hour pilot with almost 3K in JetRangers and I can tell you that mast bumping would shear just below the yoke area at the top of the mast. The transmission would not still be attached. In the security video footage you can see the aircraft doesn't pitch up or down when it rotates and the tail buckles... so no mast bumping (which would require some form of pitch or turbulence to cause a low-g moment).
Most likely a transmission catastrophic failure.

[alibygolly]

As another retired helicopter pilot, I agree those comments contained below rejecting the mast bumping theory are spot on. What did cause it; I don’t know. However, I will wait on the NTSB’s report.

[randallsmerna]

Why the hell did this change from a helicopter disintegration video to a helicopter/plane incident video?

[starrstreams]

It's amazing how many helicopter engineers there are across the internet at the moment. It must be a booming industry.

[dougisherwood]

The fact that the main rotor assembly, intact and still attached to the mast and part of the gearbox seen still rotating and falling separate from the fuselage, is witness that this is no mast bumping incident, but rather some kind of catastrophic failure of the gearbox or the gearbox mountings.

[Gkm]

0:10: what is a ‘fuselarge’? Is it bigger than the body of an ordinary helicopter?

[heromiIes]

I'm not convinced that a two-blade helicopter is safe if a scenario like this is possible.

[RomanEmpire-lctb]

Helicopters always give me goosebumps!!!

[TheBestDog]

5:20 What happened? The video abruptly ended only for a previous, unrelated episode to begin playing

[squarewave]

Aviation channel and pilot blancolirio disagrees with the mast bumping theory. He points out that it’s a very rare occurrence on the Bell 206, and that when it does happen it typically shears the rotor from the transmission. He points out on the video that the rotor is seen falling with the transmission still attached, and that the gyroscoping motion does not appear to indicate any damage to the rotor blades.

[scillyautomatic]

It is clear from the video we have seen that the rotor blades are in good shape as they fall. No boom strike damage.

[Captseb]

According to the visual footage, your explanation is incorrect. Ethically, you should put on the title of the video that this is your hypothesis. But kudos on getting such a great number of views.

[cuttersgoose]

It wasn’t a mast bump.. it was a gearbox failure that caused a sudden stop and ripped the transmission from its mount causing the driveshaft to rip off taking the tail boom out

[TheShowblox]

It still amazes me how people manage to catch incidents like these that happen so randomly on video

[kyegunn]

I’m a helicopter pilot. This wasn’t mast bumping. This was a catastrophic event. Most likely failure of the main rotor transmission attachment pylons. Not at the same time though. One failed causing immediate loss of control. Then with the mast and transmission no longer stable, the rotor blades cut off the tail boom. The angle must have been great because the boom was cut off very near fuselage attachment point. As the helicopter began to plummet, tremendous aerodynamic forces failed the rest of what ever attachment of the transmission remained, because the rotor blades were still “flying”, now being driven by auto-rotational forces. They never had a chance.