Helicopter drone crashes during airshow in China

On Sunday this video surfaced that shows a helicopter drone suddenly diving towards the ground and crashing during an airshow in China. The drone incident happened on Saturday and luckily nobody got injured or hurt.

Helicopter drone crashes during airshow in China

The helicopter drone crash happened on Saturday during the “International Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Innovation Competition” in Hangzhou, China. The event was organized by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China and the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province.

During the airshow, a “Predator” unmanned helicopter developed by Hangzhou Star Low Altitude Helicopter Development Co. Ltd. and hailed as one of the “trailblazers” in the development of China’s drone industry suddenly suffered a catastrophic crash.

In the video, trees and bushes can be seen moving wildly, indicating very strong winds during the event, which may have contributed to the crash.

According to the announcer of the event, the fuselage of the helicopter drone measures 7.25 meters long, 2.3 meters high, and 1.5 meters wide, with the diameter of the rotor reaching 6 meters. It was also said that the aircraft can reach altitudes of 3,000 meters, fly for two hours, carry a maximum load of 200 kilograms, and has a maximum range of up to 200 kilometers. As the announcer spoke, the helicopter drone could be seen flying back and forth in front of the audience.

During the demonstration flight, it appears that the helicopter drone’s movements become increasingly erratic and it struggles to maintain a linear flight path. During the final run, the helicopter drones took a nosedive and crashed into the ground in front of the visibly shocked audience. Parts of the aircraft ripped through a billboard promoting Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping’s environmental slogan “Clear waters and green mountains.” Fortunately, nobody seems to be injured or hurt in the dramatic crash.

中国浙江杭州“航展”🤣 pic.twitter.com/VNL1qMpSk4

— 野山🎗 (@naochashu) October 25, 2020

Taiwan News reports that a report released on Weibo that same day by China’s state-run media outlet Sina Zhejiang, authorities “cannot rule out” the possibility that the crash was caused by “improper operation.”

As a result of the impact, the helicopter drone burst into flames and was belching black smoke as firemen rushed to the scene of the accident. No persons were injured or hurt as a result of the crash.

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