this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2025
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Russian man, 88, dies after homemade helicopter falls apart on takeoff (edition.cnn.com)
submitted 3 days ago by cm0002@lemmy.world to c/world@quokk.au
19 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

An 88-year-old Russian man, who gained local fame for building his own aircraft, has died after attempting to take off in a homemade helicopter.

The man, a resident of the Omutninsky district of western Russia’s Kirov Region, attempted the flight in the self-built aircraft on Thursday, the Volga Region Transport Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release Friday.

However, the helicopter self-destructed during take-off, it added.

The aircraft failed to lift off and, instead, “during engine startup, while still on the ground and as the engine power was building, the main rotor blades detached. This caused injuries to the pilot, born in 1937,” the district emergency services told Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti on Friday.

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[–] general_kitten@sopuli.xyz 42 points 3 days ago

considering how people that age usually die, a homemade helicopter accident sounds rather preferable to most of the alternatives.

[–] Almonds@mander.xyz 28 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I knew a guy who built little one person helicopters as a hobby. He bought kits for that, though

Fun fact: sometimes he would take his pet skunk up into the sky with him

[–] runner_g@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 days ago

An absolute Renaissance man.

[–] lectricleopard@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

Living his best life. A man worth emulating.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

more of us should be like that man

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Amateur mistake, everyone knows you always let someone else (preferably a dumb friend) test your products first.

[–] Bubs12@lemmy.cafe 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

All of his dumb friends, surely died years ago.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

or went to ukraine, and got liberated by drones

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

There are way worse ways to go I guess

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

better than getting droned trying to invade your former ally I guess.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That looks like a gyrocopter, not a helicopter. Which is something a hobbyist could plausibly build by themselves.

[–] piccolo@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Guess you're right. That thing looks like a veritable death trap.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago

There was an old guy, former aerospace engineer, that came to our shop to get his plane blueprints reproduced for sale. LOL, he made bank after his story hit an aviation mag.

He's still at it!

https://www.thatchercx4.com/

Surprised he's only 75. Looked older than that 12-years ago. Weird. Not sure he hasn't died and still has his name on the company.

[–] NatakuNox@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

Dude. What a fucking mad man. And I love it. That's how I want to go out. (building an unbelievably complex piece of machinery in my back yard. I'm thinking my own personal tower of doom?!)

[–] 9point6@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago

Well fuck me, no one ever told me there was gore when you read between the lines

[–] Eh_I@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

At that age, why not?

[–] jerkface@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Death by misadventure. That's what I hope gets carved on my tombstone, too. But I would have built an autogyro.

[–] markovs_gun@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

One of the better ways to die at that age, especially in a country where the average male life expectancy is 68 years