(VIDEO) Ka-52 targeting system fires rockets at spectators during exercise, no casualties

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

Received this today, might be of interest: https://www.rt.com/news/403789-cockpit-video-helicopter-misfire/

 

The link includes a cockpit video, a video from the ground and an aftermath.

 

Cause of the accident appears to be a target wrongly locked by the crew. The Ka-52 has a system option where, when firing unguided rockets, all the crew needs to do is point the nose at the target and the targeting system will automatically release the rockets immediately once they'll hit the target. This helps the crew use short windows of opportunity to hit targets, but in this case it almost caused a big mess.

[Cybermat47]

Thank god no-one was killed.

[Trooper117]

Bloody hell!

[Bando]

Spontaneous launch?

Finger trouble?

[Sokol1]

[Jaws2002]

Holly smoke.  That's messed up.

 

Thanks god no one was hurt.

[216th_Lucas_From_Hell]

Spontaneous launch?

Finger trouble?

 

Alignment of pipper and target, automatic fire. I can understand why it was on that mode since the pair was participating in a live fire exercise and this increases accuracy. What I don't know is how did that truck accidentally get locked - was the radar set to automatically pick up targets, was the navigator bored and locked the truck while forgetting to cool the weapons, were they both oblivious that weapons were hot and set to fire when aligned?

 

Fortunately by the looks of it these were training rockets, otherwise it would have been a different story.

Edited September 20, 2017 by 216th_Lucas_From_Hell

[DetCord12B]

Alignment of pipper and target, automatic fire. I can understand why it was on that mode since the pair was participating in a live fire exercise and this increases accuracy. What I don't know is how did that truck accidentally get locked - was the radar set to automatically pick up targets, was the navigator bored and locked the truck while forgetting to cool the weapons, were they both oblivious that weapons were hot and set to fire when aligned?

 

Fortunately by the looks of it these were training rockets, otherwise it would have been a different story.

 

Why were the weapon safety's disengaged prior to reaching the LFO point to begin with?