Hog hunting in Texas is incredibly fun. And doing it from the sky is a serious thrill. If you haven’t done it, take a trip. A recent video, however, paints a different picture of the “fun” we’re talking about. After the engine of a helicopter quits on a Texas hog hunt, the pilot makes some quick maneuvers to avoid what could’ve been a disastrous crash.
The Texas Hog Hunt Helicopter Crash
The incident occurred on Jan. 9, 2021, in Albany, Texas. Less than one minute after take off, the engine quits. The pilot acts quickly, re-diverting the helicopter and turning it into a field where it crash lands. The helicopter takes a beating, but nobody is injured.
All three men remain incredibly calm during the entire experience. When we first watched the video, we thought the pilot did a nice job. However, we’re not pilots. But the people at Plane and Pilot had the same thoughts we did.
“The pilot immediately initiates autorotation procedures. Faced straight ahead with a road atop a daunting berm, the pilot opts, instead, for a left turn to a landing spot on flat terrain surrounded by brush and scrub trees. The landing is successful in that all aboard walked away uninjured. The helicopter was not as fortunate.
“Unavoidably, one of the main rotors strikes a small tree, subsequently hitting the tail boom and severing it from the fuselage. There is no fire.”
Another commenter on the video, who claims he’s a flight instructor, says: “That was an OUTSTANDING job of auto-rotation. As I watching I was thinking what I would do. I did not like the highway because it had a bank that would surely be more destructive at impact. Then he also turned left to avoid the road. Notice at the last seconds he had the conscious of mind to make a slight correction to avoid the tree. Outstanding!”
After calmly asking if everyone is OK, the pilot shuts down the helicopter and the three men jump out and clear their rifles. One of the hunters looks at the pilot and sends him some praise with, “You’re one hell of a f*cking pilot.” We agree.
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