Why Helicopters Are More Prone To Crashes Than Planes

A Moscow-bound chartered flight from India crashed in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan on Sunday, January 21. As per media reports, at least six people are thought to be on board. The Civil Aviation Ministry of India has also confirmed that the aircraft was not an Indian aircraft. It was a Moroccan-registered aircraft. Amid this, the netizens are now wondering the reason for the higher number of helicopter or chartered plane crashes than plane crashes. An aviation expert, Rebecca Williams said in an interview that helicopters usually fly at a lower altitude and speed than planes, which increases the risk of crashes.

Due to the low altitude, helicopters have to face obstacles like power lines, buildings, trees and birds. Although the probability of error in helicopters is less, the risk of crashes is so high that they often meet with accidents. Apart from this, helicopters also have more complex and delicate machinery than aeroplanes. These require maintenance and regular inspection regularly. Most crashes take place due to a lack of proper monitoring, as per aviation expert Rebecca Williams.

While explaining the reason for higher crashes of helicopters than planes, Rebecca Williams said that helicopters have a main rotor, a tail rotor, a transmission and an engine. All of these are essential for flight and control. If any of these goes wrong, an accident is bound to happen. Apart from this, helicopters are more difficult to fly and control than planes. Especially when the speed has to be kept very low. A helicopter pilot needs precise inputs all the time; whereas in planes, when they are in autopilot mode, the pilot does not have to think.

Helicopters also fly at low altitudes, so sometimes the wind speed acts as an obstacle for them. Apart from this, helicopters are used for more risky tasks than planes like search and rescue operations. Helicopters are often used to rescue someone from hilly areas, fire buildings or some military missions. These can be used to transport large objects from place to place. Television and radio stations use helicopters to fly over cities and traffic. Adverse effects of weather and low visibility create more problems for them.