The Real Story of Black Hawk Down in 18 Minutes
Source: YouTube · Shawn Ryan Clips · published Oct 3, 2026 · 18:45
[BLUF] A US Army pilot recounts the harrowing experience of his Blackhawk helicopter being struck by an RPG during the Battle of Mogadishu, leading to a catastrophic loss of the tail rotor and a near-impossible spin-and-impact landing that resulted in severe personal injuries but saved the crew's lives 1:00.
Key Takeaways:
• The incident began when an RPG struck the helicopter's tail rotor gearbox while orbiting a firefight, causing it to disintegrate and the tail rotor to vanish entirely 7:00.
• The pilot explains that losing the tail rotor at low speed is fatal because the lack of airflow prevents the tail from stabilizing, causing the aircraft to enter an uncontrollable flat spin 9:00.
• As the helicopter spun violently, centrifugal force made it impossible for the co-pilot to fully reach the overhead engine controls to cut power, which was necessary to stop the rotation before impact 14:30.
• Miraculously, the crew landed on their wheels while still spinning, likely preventing a fatal crash; the force ripped off the landing gear and crushed the pilot's vertebrae and femur 15:10.
• The pilot suffered a vertebra crushed 30% and a snapped femur—injuries so severe the back pain masked all feeling of the broken leg 16:30.
The crew's survival was a combination of extreme skill and sheer luck. This account highlights the visceral reality of combat aviation and the physical toll exacted by such high-stakes emergencies.
Sources:
- 1:00 Context of the firefight and initial engagement.
- 7:00 The moment the RPG hits the tail rotor.
- 9:00 Explanation of the physics of losing the tail rotor.
- 14:30 The struggle to cut engine power during the spin.
- 15:10 The critical landing on the wheels.
- 16:30 Description of the pilot's severe injuries.
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First 800 characters of the transcript
You saw it hit. Yeah. And it just started auto rotating. I'm like, "Oh, man." >> If you lose a tail rotor on a Blackhawk at slow speed, you are [ __ ] So, we're in this impossible scenario where we're like voo. And all I could see is brown earth and blue sky. Just the line. >> I remember getting nervous, but still like we're going to be home for dinner, right? You know, just joking around. And then another RPG and I remember looking up and seeing it hit the helicopter. The tail of the helicopter. >> You saw it hit. Yeah. and it just started auto rotating. I'm like, "Oh, man. No, no, no." You know, and it crashed a little bit northwest of us or northeast of us. And uh devised another quick plan. All right. Calling up higher, you know, whatever team leader is doing at the time. I I know now …