• Zron@lemmy.world
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      30 days ago

      The taliban took over a lot of American equipment when the pull out happened.

      When the Military abandons equipment, they often sabotage it in some way so that it’s not useful to the enemy force.

      Likely this helicopter had its tail rotor fucked with. It would have started and taken off okay in calm weather, but the moment the pilot attempted any kind of rotation, or got hit by a strong gust of wind, he was doomed.

      This may have been the best pilot in the world, but once you’re in an out of control helicopter, there’s very little even the best pilot can do. It’s like if the stabilizer fell off a plane, there’s just not much you can do.

      • Red_October@lemmy.world
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        29 days ago

        If the tail rotor was fucked with they wouldn’t have gotten that far off the ground. They would have started to spin as soon as their weight started to come off the ground, you have to be actively on the pedals at all times, not just when turning.

        This was pilot error all the way.