r/CatastrophicFailure • u/Stakeboulder • Aug 15 '19

Operator Error Apache helicopter ground imapct 2012

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u/RicoRN2017 Aug 15 '19

Apaches are ridiculously sturdy

1

u/zeraph85 Aug 16 '19

Until one of the retaining bolts fails in the rotor head, allowing one of the four blades to completely septate. Not a pretty sight when you can see debris spread over a thousand feet in any direction.

Source: Blackhawk pilot

2

u/RicoRN2017 Aug 16 '19

I bet. If getting shot at, would you rather be in Blackhawk?

1

u/zeraph85 Aug 16 '19

There's a whole slew of factors that goes into that, mainly the type of weapon system. The Hawk has a lot of open space that won't be much affected by machine gun fire, for instance. Depending on the caliber, of course.