Dramatic video shows a helicopter crashing repeatedly onto a taxiway after a flight instructor lost control during a training lesson. Despite the violent impact, the instructor and his student escaped with only minor injuries.
CCTV footage from Cedar City Regional Airport in Utah captures the red Bell 206 taking off before slamming back onto the ground, bouncing and careening uncontrollably across the taxiway.
The helicopter appears to strike the ground almost vertically, shearing off its tail section. It then spins and crashes several more times before finally coming to rest amid a cloud of dust and scattered debris.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released the footage while reporting that the May 23 crash resulted from the 32-year-old flight instructor losing control of the helicopter, rather than from a mechanical failure.
Both the instructor and his 25-year-old student suffered only “minor” injuries, according to the report. Their names were not disclosed.
