Mayday Helicopter Episodes

Helicopter operations demand precision, discipline, and sound judgment — and when things go wrong, the lessons can be powerful. This page highlights Mayday / Air Crash Investigation episodes that focus specifically on helicopter events, offering high-quality breakdowns of the technical failures, weather factors, human decisions, and investigative findings behind each case. These episodes provide valuable insight into real-world scenarios and the safety lessons that continue to shape modern helicopter operations.

Helicopter Down — Mayday Season 3, Episode 7

This episode tells the story of Bristow Helicopters Flight 56C, a Super Puma helicopter flying oil-rig workers from Aberdeen to the Brae Alpha oil field in the North Sea on 19 January 1995. During the flight the helicopter encountered bad weather and was struck by lightning while en route, which severely damaged its tail rotor.

With the tail rotor compromised, the pilots lost effective anti-torque control and were forced to execute an emergency autorotation ditching into the rough sea. Thanks to the crew’s skill and the helicopter’s emergency floatation system, all 18 people on board (16 passengers + 2 crew) survived the ditching and were rescued, despite high waves and cold conditions.

Key takeaways from the investigation

  • Weather risks: Lightning strikes on helicopters operating offshore can cause unexpected damage to crucial components like the tail rotor.
  • Design vulnerability: The investigation highlighted potential weaknesses in the rotor blade materials/design that made them relatively susceptible to damage from lightning.
  • Emergency procedure effectiveness: The crew’s ability to perform an autorotation ditching successfully and the helicopter’s floatation equipment were critical to every occupant surviving.

Atlantic Ditching — Mayday/Air Crash Investigation Season 20, Episode 7

Atlantic Ditching focuses on Cougar Helicopters Flight 91, a Sikorsky S-92A helicopter en route from St. John’s, Newfoundland to offshore oil platforms on 12 March 2009. Roughly halfway over the North Atlantic, the helicopter’s main gearbox oil pressure dropped to zero, signaling a loss of proper lubrication.

The crew issued a mayday call and began returning toward land, but shortly afterward the helicopter ditched into the ocean. The aircraft sank rapidly in deep water. Of the 18 people on board (16 passengers + 2 pilots), only one passenger survived; the rest tragically died of drowning despite required survival training and immersion suits.

Key takeaways from the investigation

  • Mechanical failure: Loss of main gearbox oil pressure was the initiating event, leading to the critical failure of the helicopter’s power-transmission system.
  • Emergency response: Although the crew followed procedures to return to land after the malfunction, the ditching was uncontrolled and resulted in severe structural damage, with the helicopter sinking quickly.
  • Survivability challenges: Even with immersion suits and mandatory survival training, escaping from a submerged helicopter proved extremely difficult — and the lack of functioning locator signals hindered rescue efforts.

Loss of a Legend — Mayday / Air Crash Investigation Season 22, Episode 10

This episode examines the 2020 helicopter crash near Calabasas, California, involving a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter carrying nine people — including NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna — on January 26, 2020.

The helicopter was flying under visual flight rules (VFR) on a clear-day plan, but encountered fog and low clouds in the hills near the crash site. The pilot continued into deteriorating visibility, violating the visual flight rules. Suddenly the aircraft entered the cloud layer, and the pilot became spatially disoriented — meaning he could no longer correctly interpret the helicopter’s attitude and motion because visibility outside was lost and instrument flying wasn’t being used properly. The helicopter then collided with hilly terrain, killing all nine people on board.

Key takeaways from the investigation

  • Flight rules violation: The pilot continued flying visually into weather that did not support it, entering cloud/fog where outside visual references were lost. This was a critical factor in the accident.
  • Spatial disorientation: Once in the cloud layer without reliable outside visual cues, the pilot became disoriented. Helicopters require precise control inputs that are hard to maintain without visual references if a pilot isn’t actively trained or current for instrument flight.
  • Importance of instrument proficiency: Even though the pilot was experienced, the episode highlights how dangerous it is to fly into conditions that require instrument flight rules (IFR) skills without maintaining proficiency — especially in a helicopter where weather can change quickly. Investigators pointed out that more rigorous instrument training or choosing a route that avoided adverse conditions might have helped prevent the crash.