Dramatic moment US police helicopter flips over and crashes in strong winds

Tom Powell22 August 2018

This was the dramatic moment a US police helicopter flipped on its side and smashed into the ground after getting caught by the wind.

The pilot was rushed to hospital with a head injury following the crash at the Little Rock police training base in Arkansas

Surveillance footage released today by Little Rock police shows the Bell TH-67 helicopter resting on a platform with its rotor turning.

The platform then starts to move before the helicopter takes off and wobbles in the air just metres above the ground.

The pilot was injured in the crash on August 16
Little Rock Police Department

A man can be seen rushing out of a building and signalling at the pilot to land, but the helicopter appears to be out of control.

Its skid catches the edge of the platform, causing the craft to flip onto its side and the rotor to smash into the ground and break apart.

Police said a straight-line wind caused the accident
Little Rock Police Department

The police force said retired officer William Denio was injured in the August 16 crash. He had reportedly been testing out new equipment when a straight-line wind forced the chopper off the platform.

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