RC airplane crashes
- when it all goes horribly wrong!
Oops!! Maybe this isn't the best way to promote the hobby of rc airplanes and radio control flying, but sadly things do go wrong now and again, and so it's only fair to dedicate a page of this website to the fallen.
RC airplane crashes are all part of the fun, and you need to write off a few models now and again - it makes you a better rc pilot (so I've heard...).
So let's have those pics and stories!
If you have any photos of crashed rc airplanes that you think should be shown on the RC Airplane World Hall of Shame, then send 'em in! The more spectacular the better, but this is not any kind of competition; there are no prizes here, folks - only lessons to be learned.
To tell us about your bad day at the flying field, use the form at the end of this page. Or you can contact me via the website contact page if you have several photos or a video that you'd like shared.
So, without further ado, here are some 'nasty moments' from the world of rc flying...
Mark Grubbs' plane saved by a very soft field! Read about it here.
This ME109 aerial display sequence comes from Orban Pyrotechnics & Models of Hungary.
This spectacular scene of destruction comes from Fremont Flyers of Fremont, New Hampshire.
Above 3 photos from North Down Model Aircraft Club, Northern Ireland.
Above 3 photos all from Bay City Flyers, Florida.
Above left two from Valley Forge Signal Seekers,PA. Above right from EMRC, PA.
Above 3 photos from EMRC, Pennsylvania.
Above left from Plymouth Helis, Devon, UK. Above right two from EMRC.
Above left two from Sky Rangers Model Flyers, Kamloops, Canada. Right, a wrecked PZ F-27B Stryker.

Above, what you can do with the remains!
The mid-air collision
Some of the most spectacular rc airplane crashes happen in mid air, when one model unintentionally (usually...) makes contact with another, particularly at high speed.
Anyone who has witnessed such an event will know the unmistakable noise of impact, immediately followed by complete silence as tiny pieces of shredded airplane fall gently to the ground.
One mid-air collision that I personally witnessed was particularly spectacular... Two models met head-on, so you can imagine the result. While walking around the wreckage, one guy accidentally kicked what was left of the plane's shattered wing. The owner, as a natural reaction, cried out "Hey, don't break it!"![]()
But understand this...
RC airplane crashes are all part of the hobby, there's absolutely no doubt about that. Any RC pilot who tells you that he/she hasn't crashed his/her model airplane obviously hasn't been flying for long enough!
This page shows what can happen when things do go wrong, and is written in a way that might appear to be making fun of the pilots involved. Not so! I've merely tried to take the sadness out of the experience.
I myself have crashed my fair share of rc airplanes, some of which had taken many hours to construct from a kit. I've flown with many rc pilots who have crashed their beloved, and often expensive, model planes. And one thing happens soon after the crash - the pilot smiles, even laughs about it! Maybe it's just his/her way of expressing the sudden grief of losing something so precious, but it always happens.
OK, so maybe a few naughty words might erupt from the pilot's mouth before the smile, but the smile always happens, especially when the pilot turns round from the flight line to see a row of faces staring at the point of impact.
So what's my point?... Don't get too upset if you crash your rc airplane. It happens. Be a man about it. Smile about it, even laugh about it.
Yes, it's a great shame that your model has met an untimely departure, but move on! Look on the bright side; you can have an early beer, even get home in time for the big game. Not to mention the sympathy you'll get from your other half, when you do return home, plastic bag in hand...
In fact, milk it all the way. Phone home in advance and give the bad news. There'll be a cold beer in your hand as soon as you walk through the door.
And if you happen to witness an rc airplane doing something that the pilot didn't want it to do, here are some handy tips on how to react, a bit of 'rc airplane crash etiquette', if you like...
- Keep quiet - let the pilot have the first word.
- Cover your ears if you don't like swearing or blasphemy.
- Let the pilot walk back to the flight line, don't go running over to him ready to initiate a group hug.
- Don't offer him $10 for his transmitter.
- Don't hand him your plastic bag, let him use his own - it's part of the wreckage collection ceremony.
- Offer to help look for the wreckage if the plane came down out of sight, but don't go sprinting across to the crash site - this indicates your urge to salvage the good parts to sell on eBay.
- Don't offer to take photos until the pilot mentions the idea, and hide the fact that you had your camera turned on before the plane hit the ground.
- Don't make comments such as "I would never have tried that maneuver myself", or "It's so easy to get disoriented sometimes", or "Are you sure you remembered to put the radio gear on charge last night?"...
- Instead, offer constructive, tactful comments such as "Well, think of what your Christmas present will be!", or "Well, it doesn't look so bad - maybe a bit of epoxy resin here and there", or "Well you said you wanted to build a new model"...
- And whatever you do, never ever ever mention pilot error!
This last one is a definite no-no. Instead, just sympathetically nod your head in agreement with whatever the pilot blames. And if he blames himself (very rare), disagree with him completely and reassure him that the crash was caused by an outside influence completely beyond his control.
You'll be friends for life ![]()
But the most important point of all...
Don't let this page put you off rc flying!
Share the pain...
Let us learn something from your bad day at the flying field!
Skip to see what others have said.
Learn from others!
Below are various rc airplane crash stories submitted by fellow flyers...
Well.....that went well I just finished my first ever r/c plane, it was a Venom Island-Hopper, it was a beuautiful looking aircraft. My dad took me down to the oval for my fist ...
Restored to glory In the early 90s' my dad flew RC Airplanes. He always flew with his friend Bill Bell in the field behind Bills' House. His first was a Bellanca Super Decathlon,...
My First Flight-and Crash-on My Birthday It was my birthday. I took off really excited to to be in the sky for the first time. After two minutes my battery hatch fell off. Soon after the battery ...
Model helicopter blade rips apart It was a sunny day at about 3 o'clock in Bataan on a wide field of a farming community for my mother resting, I shared my model helicopter with my friends ...
First Flight - Ever I had just completed my first model glider kit. It was a covered balsa construction with a sixty inch wingspan, two channel control, built for slow flying....
Power loss at last minute - Ultra Stick 60 Bad approach and tried a go-around but engine sputtered and quit resulting in clipping a soccer goal, cartwheeling in midair and slamming nose first into ...
No Beginner's Luck Thanks to a friend's generous Xmas gift card, I at long last bought my first R/C plane - electric trainer, 4 ch. I'd been wanting to try R/C flying since ...
Gone
My friend and myself went to fly my Mad Dog EP400 that was about 48hrs old, along with me having about 48 seconds of flying time.
Well now comes the good ...
Where'd it go? I was flying my PT-40 built in 1983. Just installed a brand new Futaba FASST radio and servers. Plane wouldn't take off due to broken elevator pushrod ...
Shuttles ain't made for low rolls
After a few flights on my Trex 600 nsp and getting over my first rolls and loops I had the bug to do more and learn the whole 3D thing in 1 day.
The battery ...
Open field almost I was having a wonderful day, mostly cloudy, 78 degrees out, less than 10MPH wind, sun on my back. Been flying off and on for about 3-4 hours with a couple ...
HZ Super Cub First Flight er Crash Took my brand new HZ Super Cub out Christmas day. Had no experience but hearing how great the plane flew from different forums and watching first flight ...
Low fuel?
I built this little plane from a free set of plans from a magazine, powered by an Enya SS25.
Flew absolutely fantastic but the fuel tank was small and ...
Get proper training Had a couple of lessons from my local club and I thought how hard can this be... So I had a go on my own, bad move as it went straight up then down just ...
Maiden Flight
This was nothing I did..... of course!
Upon second take off the plane climbed and promptly veered sharp left until it met the ground at a high rate of ...
Second crash Well I was called to land an 11 year old airplane. The pilot had a neck problem and he had to leave for pain killers..... So I brought her in on the final ...
Related pages
Visitor-submitted crash stories - archived pages.


















