Video shows Russian chopper pilot make baffling choice before deadly crash

Harrowing video footage shows the moment a Russian helicopter smashed into a pier and bashed its tail off — with the pilot then bizarrely choosing to fly out to sea before the losing control and crashing.

Five senior members of a Russian defense manufacturer were killed in the crash.

The dramatic clip reveals a badly botched landing in Russia’s Republic of Dagestan region on Nov. 7

After clipping off its tail, the helicopter then drifts along the Caspian Sea — possibly searching for somewhere else to land.

Separate CCTV footage reportedly shows the Ka-226 utility copper smashing into a residential building and exploding in flames.

An onlooker’s video of the dramatic moment has racked up thousands of comments on the r/aviation subreddit, with many questioning the pilot’s decision not to put the chopper down after the first botched landing attempt.

“Once they landed in the water I was thinking about the adage that this was a good landing — then they took off again,” one baffled commenter said.

Employees of the Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ), a Russian defense manufacturer, were among those killed. KEMZ has been sanctioned by the United States for it’s role in manufacturing aviation equipment used in the war against Ukraine.