Incredible Video: NZ Chopper Snaps, Crashes While Setting Up Christmas Tree
- Posted on November 23, 2011 at 8:38am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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(Photo: AP)
A New Zealand helicopter pilot is lucky to be alive today, after he survived an horrific crash while trying to set up a large Christmas tree. The Daily Mail describes what happened:
Television viewers in New Zealand watched in horror as the blades of Greg Gribble‘s helicopter became tangled in cables attached to scaffolding on Auckland’s waterfront.
Dramatic footage shows the rear of the helicopter snapping, flinging Mr Gribble out of the front door of the helicopter, then slamming him back through its side door.
The aircraft then dropped 25ft to the ground.
The Hindustan Times adds:
Television footage showed the pilot, clad in a fluorescent safety vest, being tossed around the cockpit like a rag doll, appearing to fall out of the chopper’s door before his harness snapped him back inside.
The aircraft slammed into the ground, with the cockpit surviving in one piece and the pilot, named in local media as Greg Gribble, walking away with help from two co-workers, who clambered on the wreckage to free him.
Gribble, an experienced chopper pilot with thousands of flying hours, was taken to hospital for precautionary monitoring and later released.
No one on the ground was hurt either. You can watch the dramatic footage below (the first video is experiencing intermittent trouble, so we’ve included the second one):
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Comments (55)
ccprotect
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 2:24pmon-on.
yes you can see the lifting cable on the belly of the chopper jerk, the rear rotor got a hold of it then it folded up like a taco.
Report Post »dirigo
Posted on November 24, 2011 at 9:48amAs my mother says: “You can‘t tell me he didn’t know better than that!”
Report Post »TalonsPoint
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 2:24pmMaybe it was just the angles but it looked like there was so many hazards around there he would have been better off trying to land in a mine shaft.
Report Post »Aerocog
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 2:20pmIs bad that I thought this was kind of cool to watch?
Report Post »MeteoricLimbo
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 1:55pmPretty spendy tree
Report Post »Ralph Wylie
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 1:39pmFlying Christmas trees? What’s next? A sleigh, a fat man and a bunch of reindeer that fly?
They must think we’ll fall (pun intended) for anything.
The helicopter probably had no breaks! (see Austrian roller coaster story to understand)
Happy Thanksgiving Pilgrims- Ralph
Report Post »MeMadMax
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 1:24pmDoesn’t look like he clipped anything, in my opinion it looked like the tail rotor shaft failed.
Report Post »on-on
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 1:35pmHUH???
There is clearly an impact which has nothing to do with the tail rotor. In fact, you can see the cable reacting to the wash just prior to impact. The Tail failing is the result of stresses placed by the sudden stoppage of the Main Rotor system.
Also, on that aircraft, failure of the tail rotor would have made it spin in the other direction. Absolutely no doubt that it was in no way shape or form a tail rotor or tail boom failure.
Report Post »neocon1
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 3:32pmBS
Report Post »main rotor still rotating un impeded until impact, NO flying debris at the point of tail failure.
conbones
Posted on November 24, 2011 at 1:27amif watch the main rotor thier is a small cable that swings into it and you can geuss it raps the cable around the blades and jerrks the the top off like a hang mans nuse
Report Post »red_white_blue2
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 1:17pmI wouldn’t call him an idiot. It looked like something that just happened! I’m glad he is well and safe!
Report Post »Ialmostforgot
Posted on November 24, 2011 at 7:21amThis pilot is an absolute dumb ass!
Report Post »I’ll bet he said, just before he started, “Here, hold my beer, watch this!”
Grumpy old Flight Nurse
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 12:40pmRisk Assessment FAIL!! Horrible decision making. No place for an A-Star.
Report Post »AmericanStrega
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 12:39pmI don’t think the pilot was an idiot. Helicopters are used for many high risk operations. If this pilot and his helicopter was descending down close to a canyon wall to rescue a fallen hiker and the wind currents changed and he crashed, but the hiker and the pilot were safe, would you all be saying what an idiot this pilot was?
Report Post »Ialmostforgot
Posted on November 24, 2011 at 7:22amYes!
Report Post »Dishevel
Posted on November 25, 2011 at 4:54pmThere may be a slight difference between saving someones life and erecting a “really cool Christmas tree.”.
Report Post »powedj
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 12:38pmIt was George Bush’s fault.
Report Post »TNT_Party
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 6:47pmLOL. Got me …
Report Post »garylee123
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 12:36pmDefinition of a helicopter…..10000 nut and bolts trying to go in opposite directions at the same time. One lucky dude!
Report Post »mogar
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 1:51pmWhat’s the saying? Helicopters don’t fly, they beat the air into submission.
Report Post »Charles
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 11:19amI would have started running as soon as I saw this imbecile flying down so close to all those cables and structures. After the crash you can see that the engine is still running and spewing smoky exhaust straight up from the wreckage. Its also amazing there was no fire. Very expensive result of stupidity. Choppers like that are in the one million dollar range
Report Post »moreteaplease
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 11:16amI don’t care how good of a pilot you are, that looks like an awful tight spot to be trying to maneuver a chopper in.
Report Post »flrick
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 7:13pmSeriously??? You do understand that looking at things through a telephoto lens makes things look closer together than they really are. I’m sure there was plenty of room where he was.
Report Post »Ironeagle
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 10:25amStupid is as stupid does.
Report Post »freemama
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 10:19amThe second luckiest man was the guy on the ground in the red jacket.
Report Post »Smokepole
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 10:05amThey say any landing you can walk away from is a good one…
Report Post »Flex-it
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:59amToo close for comfort…….very risky move, unfortunately he paid the high price. Lucky that the pilot was just shaken but seemed safe.
Report Post »usernametaken
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:29amHey Ya’ll WATCH THIS !
Report Post »McNamara
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 10:22amLOL!
Report Post »Famous last words.
Meyvn
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:09amDumb. Something is wrong if you need a freakin helicopter to setup a Christmas tree.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 10:57amAgreed! Whoever though they would need a fragile and expensive aircraft to do the work of an inexpensive and durable rope and pulley setup is a freaking lunatic.
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:05am.
I kinda wonder about that pilot listening to Bubba the ground crew and those famos words…..
Yeah just bring’er on down! Yer Good………….
Report Post »Darla_K
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:24amlol
Report Post »Indymaverick
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:05amGravity $ucks.
Report Post »In detroit
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 8:58amAs rome burns lol
Report Post »MommyNeedsMoreCoffee
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:01amLooks like a ridiculous place to fly a helicopter to me…
Report Post »Anonymous T. Irrelevant
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 8:57amVideo wouldn’t play for me. Helicopters and cables don’t seem to mix very well.
Report Post »GatorSkin
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 8:48amYou clicked on the story and even took the time to make a lame comment. Thanks for your intelligent input, it really added to the story!!
Report Post »JLGunner
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 9:40amOH SNAP!!!! look everyone!!! It’s gatorskin, he’s graced us with his presence!! It’s almost like a papal visit. I got picticture to show the family!!!
Report Post »NickDeringer
Posted on November 23, 2011 at 8:43amApparently the interns have taken over the blaze. Thanks for the sensational news. Where else could I see such important stories??
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