VIDEO: Blackhawk Almost Down in Lake Tahoe

Courtesy of our friends at SFCitizen comes this incredible tale of a near-disaster sufffered by U.S. Marine Seahawk helicopter above -- and in -- Lake Tahoe, California.

As you'll see in the phonecam footage below, while attempting to hover over the lake on September 14, 2010, one of the MH-60R helicopters from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 41 (HSM-41) suddenly dropped into the water, partially submerging before the pilot managed somehow to recover and regain altitude:

NBC Bay Area provides the backstory:

An official at NAS North Island in San Diego confirmed the authenticity of the video that shows two $33 million MH-60 Romeo helicopters flying over Lake Tahoe on Sept. 13. One of the helicopters appears to come dangerously close to the water before the pilot is able to regain altitude.

US Navy officials from the Pentagon told NBC News this was not a training mission, but that the two helicopter crews were allegedly attempting to take photos of each other’s helicopters hovering just above the waters of Lake Tahoe with the mountains as a majestic backdrop when their photo op went horribly wrong.  

Navy officials say the pilots had attempted to go into a routine "hover" but because of the altitude of Lake Tahoe and the weight of the aircraft, the chopper descended and partially submerged before both pilots increased power, pulled the choppers out of the water and averted a disaster.

NBC adds that an aviation mishap board has been convened to investigate, and that the incident "could ultimately cost two Navy helicopter pilots their flying privileges"

Comments

[j.man1a]

Hole. E. Crap.

[Mike Harney]

I thought it interesting that they were ostensibly on the way from Mather AFB near Sacramento to Leemore NAS for a refuel and then home to the San Diego area when the incidents occurred at Lake Tahoe. Problem is, the fairly secluded Emerald Bay (a state park with just one road) on the southeast corner of Tahoe doesn't seem to be at all on the way. While many kids today have the attention span of a fruit fly, I seriously doubt these fellows fall into that category. Points of interest noted on this map:

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/8172/bitlostwerethey.jpg

People interested in this story may also be interested in this U.S. Navy manual from 1944, called "Flat-Hatting Sense":

http://www.aboutww2.com/flat-hatting/flat-hatting.html

Now, I'm not saying that the one necessarily goes with the other; I leave that wholly for the reader's pleasure when further details of the escapade are revealed in future.