History Main / HellishCopter

* The AltText for [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/23p84/ this]] ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' comic lampshades the prevailance of this trope, especially in this comic with "Helicopters only exist in this comic to get exploded. They serve no other purpose."

Obviously, helicopters aren't ''quite'' that dangerous in RealLife, or else we wouldn't use them for anything for fear of them haphazardly spinning out of control and crashing into everything all the time. It just wouldn't be a productive way to get around. Indeed, some helicopters, such as the Mi-24 Hind, are incredibly tough. So why do they get knocked out of the air in seemingly every movie they ever appear in? RuleOfCool. Admit it, it's just ''cool'' to watch one of these things spin out of control trailing smoke, briefly becoming a HelicopterBlender for anybody unfortunate enough to be standing around on the ground in the general area.

* During the filming for ''Film/TwilightZoneTheMovie'', a helicopter crashed during filming, [[HelicopterBlender killing]] [[FatalMethodActing Vic Morrow and two child actors on the ground]].

The fuel for this trope comes from many sources, but the most prominent of which is likely RuleOfCool (combined with EverythingsBetterWithSpinning). Iconic scenes of Blackhawk helicopters getting shot down (an actually [[RealityIsUnrealistic rare event]]) in the [[BasedOnATrueStory famous movie]] ''Film/BlackHawkDown'' are sure to have helped this trope's staying power. It also gives plenty of opportunities for various kinds of drama, badassery, and visceral action, making it as much a tool for creators as a source of entertainment for the audience, if not more so.

* ''Film/SuicideSquad'': First there's the helicopter the titular squad enters the city in, which gets shot down and barrel-rolls spectacularly across the ground. Then, once they've retrieved [[spoiler:Amanda Waller]], the evacuation helicopter is hijacked by the Joker and eventually gets shot down by the military, crashing into a building and exploding. A second evacuation helicopter arrives shortly after, picks up [[spoiler:Waller]]... and is yet again shot down, this time within seconds of taking off. [[spoiler:None of these crashes are fatal.]]

Applies to pretty much any helicopter or helicopter-analogue (such as tilt-jet military transports in sci-fi films). See also ShortLivedAerialEscape. No relation to HellishHorse. Subtrope of AntiAir.

** ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' does this not once, but ''twice''! The first helicopter is shot down off-screen, stranding Leon and Ashley for the foreseeable future. Later in the game, TheCalvary arrives to provide aerial support through the next section of the game. Leon (and the player) have just long enough to become attached to Mike the helicopter pilot, when he's blown up with a rocket launcher by Saddler's goons.

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' is quite infamous for this. The only safe helicopters are the ones at the end of the games. In the [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil2 second game]]'s A scenario, a burning helicopter wreck at the police station blocks a door that you need to access, and in the B scenario, you firsthand witness the crash, in which an officer was trying to escape the city but was ambushed by zombies and [[IJustShotMarvinInTheFace accidentally shot the pilot]]. The [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil4 4th game]] has two instances, first a casual mention of a rescue helicopter being shot down off screen, and then another helicopter appearing for all of 5 seconds before being shot down.

This trope is about that prevalent tendency of helicopters crashing various media, as well as in situations where a helicopter crash wouldn't necessarily be expected. If a military chopper in a warzone gets hit by a rocket launcher and goes down, that's less of this and more of a ShortLivedAerialEscape--but if half a dozen helicopters get shot down in the same movie, it's probably a textbook case of this trope. If a giant monster smacks the 'copter out of the sky, it's a HelicopterFlyswatter. If a military chopper collides with another aircraft or power lines or something due to remarkably bad luck, then it's this trope. If the chopper goes down because DangerTakesABackseat, it's this trope regardless of it being a military chopper in a warzone or not. If it's a police or news chopper getting blown up by a rocket launcher over downtown Los Angeles, it's both this trope and ShortLivedAerialEscape[[note]]And for the news chopper, DeadlineNews as well[[/note]], as you'd never really expect that sort of thing to happen.

* ''Franchise/SaintsRow'' isn't especially kind to its helicopters. If it's on the enemy's side, odds are it's gonna go boom. Especially if the pilot is killed, where upon it lights on fire and goes up in a big fireball upon hitting a surface, killing everyone inside. Heck, one of the first missions of [[VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird the third game]] has helicopters shot down en masse by you and and a fellow gang lieutenant.

-> ''"Helicopters only exist in this comic to get exploded. They serve no other purpose."''
-->-- AltText for [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/23p84/ this]] ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'' comic.

[[folder:Anime]]

[[folder:Film]]

--> ''I ran out of bullets.''

* In the 1978 ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' we see a helicopter for the sole reason of having it get in an accident and cause Lois Lane to fall off a building. That gets to lead to a great line in the movie though:
-->'''Superman''': Easy, miss. I've got you.
-->'''Lois Lane''': You - ''you've'' got ''me?'' ''Who's got you?''

* ''Film/UnderworldEvolution'' has Alexander Corvinus' men's helicopter crash into the area where the final battle is taking place. Towards the end the rotors start spinning again and Selene is able to force Marcus back into the rotors, making him go LudicrousGibs.
** This is a case of HoistByHisOwnPetard, as he was the one who pulled the helicopter down by the line that Michael used to drop into the building. Obviously, some RequiredSecondaryPowers had to be in play here for Marcus not to be lifted up by the helicopter when he pulled.

* Dont't get into an air ambulance in {{Casualty}} (If you are given the choice). In real life they are common enough that people get to know where they are likely to land, but they've shown up twice in this show.. and crashed both times, spectacularly in the last case.

-->'''Reporter:''' ''[As the helicopter spins wildly but otherwise holds in place]'' What's that stunt called?
-->'''Santini:''' Well, it...it doesn't really have a ''name,'' generally you don't see that unless you've lost your tail rotor...

-->'''Car 504:''' "Where'd he go?"
-->'''Pilot:''' "He went in the tunnel--"
-->'''Car 504:''' "HEY! LOOK OUT!!"
--->''CRASH!''

* The ''VideoGame/JustCause'' series dials this trope UpToEleven. You can literally daisy-chain helicopter hijackings with your GrapplingHookPistol, or shoot them down with assault rifles and revolvers, plus the game [[CaptainCrash doesn't really encourage landing the aircraft you use]] - so if you as much as spot a helicopter, chances are it's going down through your effort.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'', Brotherhood of Steel Vertibirds seem to exist in only three states: crashed, in the process of crashing (which happens instantly if you [[SnipingTheCockpit snipe the pilot]]), and about to start crashing.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Concerned}}'': Gordon Frohman takes down a Combine Gunship ''on accident'' by trying to dispose of a body by throwing it off a bridge. The body gets caught in the rotor blades of the gunship, which causes a [[CrossesTheLineTwice hilarious]] case of DisasterDominoes.
** Which is even funnier, because Frohman ''likes'' the Combine and wants to join them, being a sort of TooDumbToLive VillainProtagonist.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'': A traffic reporter reports on his own helicopter crashing.
-->'''Jim''': I have just been informed that my last words were... "back to you, Linda". ''[BOOM!]''
-->'''Morbo''': '''I HATED JIM!''' In other news...

* PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', where [[KentBrockmanNews Channel 5 News]]' [[DrunkDriver Drunk Billy]] is exactly as good of a helicopter pilot as you'd expect.
-->'''Diane Simmons:''' We now to go live to Drunk Billy, in the Channel 5 News copter.
-->''(clip of a helicopter crashing into highway overpass and exploding)''
-->'''Tom Tucker:''' This just in, Channel 5 News copter pilot passed away today. In a anticipation of this event, we've put together a clip package featuring some of Billy's work for Channel 5 News.
-->''(montage of a helicopter crashing into buildings, maiming pedestrians, and generally causing mayhem)''
-->'''Diane Simmons:''' Drunk Billy will be missed.

* A joke in aviation circles goes "If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter and therefore, unsafe."

** In ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'', helicopter-mounted circular saws, first seen trimming trees to make way for the pipeline, are utilized in the attack on Zukovsky's caviar factory, and one of them saws Bond's car in half. He takes the heli down with a surface-to-air missile.

* In ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', a helicopter is evacuating people from the roof of the burning skyscraper. When two women run after it as it's lifting off, the pilot swerves to avoid them, causing the craft to lose control in the updraft from the building, slam into the roof and explode.

** Some fun trivia: In RealLife, many helicopters are equipped with blade attachments on the top and bottom of the fuselage, designed to try and catch cables and cut them before they can actually snag on the skids or rotor hub. Aircraft designers ''are'' a bit GenreSavvy.

* This is actually [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in Helloween4545's LetsPlay of ''{{Singularity}}''. After his helicopter is brought down by an EMP, he hypothesizes that a helicopter in a video game has an 80% chance of going down and characters on it dying.

* Hoo boy, ''Film/SuicideSquad''. First there's the helicopter the titular squad enters the city in, which gets shot down by... something or other, and barrel-rolls spectacularly across the ground. Then, once they've retrieved [[spoiler:Amanda Waller]], the evacuation helicopter is hijacked by the Joker and eventually gets shot down by the military, crashing into a building and exploding. A second evacuation helicopter arrives shortly after, picks up [[spoiler:Waller]]... and is yet again shot down, this time within seconds of taking off. [[spoiler:None of these crashes are fatal.]]

* ''SwatKats'' frequently had Enforcer choppers getting torn apart, exploded or otherwise damaged by whatever the villain was doing and/or the MonsterOfTheWeek. Commander Feral's catchphrase was "Bring me chopper backup!" That backup would either be late, or never get there.

* Seen in the ''ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' episode "The Horrible Herd" where a helicopter blows up, probably because the producers [[StuffBlowingUp seem to love explosions]].

** A nigh identical scene happens in the DirectToDVD Creator/RogerCorman movie ''[[Film/{{Carnosaur}} Carnosaur 2]]''. [[FollowTheLeader And again in another such film called]] ''[[FollowTheLeader Manticore]]''.

* In reality, the vast majority of helicopters obviously don't crash. However, over the decades, quite a few have crashed due to various reasons. Causes can include mechanical failure, bad weather, and pilot error. If the helicopter is operating in some high-risk situation, such as a Care Flight chopper trying to rescue an injured hiker on a mountainside, the risks can get much higher.
** Theoretically, a helicopter with engine problems can still use the rotor to slow its fall, due to the inertia of the blades from spinning so fast. [[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle This is called autorotation.]] Practically, success depends on the load inside and what exactly went wrong. In some cases this won't slow the helicoper enough, and the passengers will still get crushed on impact. The good news is that a pilot can make the attempt on nearly any flat surface, without needing a huge open field like an airplane would.
** Of course it's usually impossible to bail out of a helicopter with parachutes or an ejection seat, because of the [[HelicopterBlender large spinning blades on top]]. However some military models (like the Russian Ka-50) have ejection seats anyway. An instant before the ejection rocket goes off, an explosive inside the rotor detonates, severing the blades and getting them out of the way, because only the Russians are CrazyAwesome enough to avoid this trope ''and'' HelicopterBlender through ''more'' [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]].
** There are also helicopters that eject ''sideways'', thus throwing the passenger/pilot clear of the vehicle.
* The survivability of military helicopters varies widely. The durability varies for the different roles, as well as for different individual models. Tactics often have to be tailored to the situation as well.
** Reconaissance and lighter attack helicopters are light, small, unarmored, and operate near the enemy at low altitudes, making them the most easily shot down.
** Transport and utility helicopters tend to be significantly larger and tougher, and often have armor, but often have to go into heavily contested areas to perform their mission of deploying, resupplying, and retrieving combat troops, collecting wounded, etc., leaving them vulnerable to enemy attack.
** Heavier attack helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache tend to be better armored and heavily armed, and often attack from stand-off distances whenever possible, making them far more survivable.
** Conversely, the Mi-24 Hind, is large and ridiculously well armored. It's designed to be capable of withstanding pretty much anything that infantry are likely to be packing. The only things that can reliably down it are antitank weapons or anti-air missiles designed to home in on the engines.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_resonance Ground Resonance]] is a phenomenon that means a helicopter can ''self-destruct'' while it's on the ground and its rotors are spinning, such as in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FeXjhUEXlc this video]].

* At the beginning of ''Winback: Covert Operations'', the SCAT team's insertion chopper loses control and explodes. Later revealed to be deliberate sabotage by [[TheMole your traitorous C.O.]] Dan, who was [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat apparently still inside the chopper when it exploded]].

* ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' is quite infamous for this. The only safe helicopters are the ones at the end of the games. The 4th game in particular has casual mention of a rescue helicopter being shot down off screen, and then another helicopter appearing for all of 5 seconds before being shot down.