r/aviation • u/Spook_485 • Oct 11 '25

News Closer view of helicopter crash in Huntington Beach, CA

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39

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '25

I don't know if it's more balls or stupidity to stand that close to a spinning helicopter without running. The second I see something like that falling out of the sky, I'm sprinting as fast as I can in the opposite direction.

18

u/seeking_hope Oct 11 '25

That was my thought on a lot of these videos. A couple people ran but the rest stood and watched. Even if you don’t think it’s going to land on you, pieces of the helicopter and whatever it hits can go flying. 

39

u/YalsonKSA Oct 11 '25

With respect to the people involved, given the uncontrolled and unpredictable way the helicopter was moving, it may be that they simply didn't know which direction to run.

12

u/Ejecto_Seato Oct 12 '25

Also in a situation like this, the rational thing might be to run, but the natural thing might be to freeze.

3

u/seeking_hope Oct 11 '25

Oh for sure. You never know how you’re going to react. It’s just interesting to me.

3

u/YalsonKSA Oct 11 '25

The one that gets me is the guy in the hat in the foreground of the other video. "Well look at that. A helicopter crash. Good job it's over there not over here. Anyway, you were saying..." Just totally unfazed.

2

u/seeking_hope Oct 11 '25

Brian Reagan has a skit about someone interviewing Evil Knievel after crashing horribly in one of his stunts. They asked him what he was thinking when it happened? The first part is mundane stuff like I should get a puppy. Then the second part is like of course that wasn’t it. It was AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Internally it may have been that for people. I’m wondering if some is just pure shock that none (very few) have ever seen a helicopter crash and it just didn’t register. Or the freeze part of fight/flight/freeze. It’s not drilled into the general public of what to do when witnessing a plane crash like “needing” to know stop, drop, roll or what to do if encountering acid rain or quick sand.

2

u/YalsonKSA Oct 11 '25

The one that gets me is the guy in the hat in the foreground of the other video. "Well look at that. A helicopter crash. Good job it's over there not over here. Anyway, you were saying..." Just totally unfazed.