Aviation Disaster in China: Helicopter Crashes During Landing Attempt in Changzhou

CHANGZHOU, CHINA — Dramatic video captured the horrifying moment a civilian helicopter spun violently out of control and crashed during an emergency landing in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. The incident has triggered an immediate investigation by regional civil aviation authorities.

The small aircraft, which belongs to a local private aviation company, was conducting a low-altitude test flight when it suddenly lost control.

According to local media and witness reports, the incident occurred around 2:00 PM of Friday, June 12, 2026 on a lawn near Haihu Road in the Wujin District of Changzhou. As the pilot attempted to bring the helicopter down for an emergency landing, the vehicle's tail section abruptly broke off upon contact with the ground.

Without the counter-torque of the tail rotor, the helicopter began spinning rapidly across the grass. Inside the cockpit, the pilot and a passenger were violently tossed around, looking like "rag dolls" as the fuselage shook and tumbled across the field.

"It was shocking to watch," a witness noted. "The helicopter was spinning so fast and violently that the two people on board were nearly ejected from the aircraft entirely."

Emergency responders rushed to the scene immediately following the crash. Amazingly, given the sheer violence of the impact and rotation, both occupants survived.

The pilot and passenger were extracted from the wreckage and rushed to a local hospital. Officials later confirmed that while both suffered severe impacts, they sustained non-critical injuries and are expected to make a full recovery.

In the wake of the near-fatal accident, the private aviation firm announced that it has grounded its entire fleet of helicopters pending further technical safety reviews.

The Civil Aviation Administration of Jiangsu Province has taken over the crash site and launched a formal investigation. Investigators are focusing heavily on the mechanical integrity of the tail rotor assembly to determine whether the structural failure was caused by a pre-existing technical defect or the heavy impact of the emergency landing.