Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania, is normally a quiet, uneventful neighborhood. So, on Monday, May 19, when neighbors spotted a PennSTAR medical helicopter flying abnormally low over their homes, it provoked a lot of suspicion. Shortly after a neighbor pulled out their phone to record the chopper, it landed in a family’s yard and driveway. 

“It really sounded like a helicopter was coming down in the movies,” a neighbor told NBC. 

Christopher Ward, the police chief of the region, told the outlet that the helicopter was heading to Wings Field, its base—only two miles away from the crash site. Police discovered the tail rotor blade was missing, and suspect that it could have inspired the pilot to make the emergency landing. 

Because of the pilot’s quick thinking, not a single home, car, passerby, or one of the three crew members was injured.

“We got very lucky tonight, it’s a miracle,” said Ward. “The pilot did an amazing job, from all accounts. As out of control as it was, he controlled it into an area and was able to put it down without striking – luckily for us – any homes, any vehicles, or any people.”

The helicopter crash site drew a lot of attention

Police say the cause of the crash is under investigation by the FAA. The tail rotor blade, as reporters noted, helps keep the helicopter steady in one direction. So, without it, the pilot must have struggled immensely to keep it stable enough to land. 

All three crew members, including the pilot, checked out of the hospital without serious injury. 

The helicopter, however, stayed in the family’s lawn until it was removed on Tuesday, May 20. While it was on the lawn, many neighbors couldn’t help but stop to take a peek. 

“The pilot did an amazing job,” another neighbor said. “They definitely knew what they were doing. I think they deserve a lot of credit for keeping everybody safe.”

Viewers congratulated the pilot, too

After NBC posted the coverage to YouTube, almost 570 viewers commented to praise the pilot. One couldn’t help but think about how angry the helicopter would have made an HOA. 

“If the area had an HOA, the homeowner would have been fined for an unapproved lawn ornament,” they wrote, earning 300 thumbs up. 

Another with military experience recounted their dealings with helicopters and helped explain why a missing tail rotor blade would cause chaos for a pilot. 

“I worked on helicopters in the military for 20+ years, and when you lose a tail rotor, the pilot has to keep a certain speed of forward momentum to counteract what the spinning of the tail rotor counteracts,” they wrote. “So, this pilot had to have come in hot for this landing, and looking at all the trees and power lines around, he did one hell of a job putting that bird on the ground safely. Hats off to the pilot, he deserves some praise for that.”

Someone else suggested a more fun way the community can congratulate and thank the pilot. 

“To be honest, I feel like there should be a GoFundMe for the pilot’s bar tab,” they wrote. “Way to go, bro.”