What caused the helicopter crash in bin Laden raid?
'Settling-with-power' phenomenon likely behind glitch in raid
- By Defense Systems Staff
- May 05, 2011
The crash of a helicopter during the May 2 raid on the compound in which Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan might have been caused by a vertical flight phenomenon known as “settling with power,” reports Defense News.
Settling with power occurs when a helicopter descends too quickly because its rotors cannot get the lift required from turbulent air of its own downwash to settle to the ground properly.
The radar-evading variant of the MH-60 Black Hawk that is believed to have been used in the raid was probably flying at maximum gross weight as a result of modifications made to the aircraft to increase its stealth characteristics, a retired special operations aviator told the news outlet.