GTA Online Player Encounters Hilarious Helicopter Glitch

A GTA Online player recently experienced a bizarre glitch involving a police helicopter, and the outcome was nothing short of hilarious. While the incident may have been caused by lag—a common occurrence in GTA Online—it still provided a moment of unintentional comedy.

GTA Online's Glitches Are Part of Its Infamy

Despite its immense popularity, GTA Online has long been plagued by glitches and bugs. Players have been voicing their frustrations for years, with some even taking matters into their own hands. One notable example was a player who fixed a bottleneck in the game’s boot sequence, significantly reducing loading times.

In this case, however, the glitch revolved around an unusual interaction with the in-game police. The clip, shared by Reddit user franklin20221401, begins with the player firing down a street. Suddenly, a police helicopter lands right in front of them. Instead of engaging the player or exiting the helicopter, the officers remain seated. When the player attempts to drag the pilot out, they mime the action, but the pilot stays firmly in place. After the player shoots one of the officers, chaos ensues—a nearby driver panics and runs the player over, causing the helicopter to vanish. Moments later, the same helicopter inexplicably plummets from the sky, and its tail fatally crushes the player.

Was Lag the Culprit Behind the Helicopter Chaos?

Lag is a common issue in GTA Online, and it’s likely the cause of this bizarre sequence. Severe lag can make vehicles behave erratically, such as suddenly stopping or, in the case of helicopters, dropping straight out of the sky. The player’s inability to eject the pilot further supports the lag theory. However, it’s unclear why the helicopter fell again at the end—perhaps the game briefly regained enough connection to process new data, only for lag to disrupt it again.

Glitches: A GTA Online Staple

While lag is often the cause of odd behavior, GTA Online has no shortage of standalone glitches. Players have reported everything from random explosions and drastic frame-rate drops—reminiscent of Into the Spider-Verse—to casino dealers vanishing mid-game and NPCs being run over during cutscenes.

Though moments like this can be frustrating, many GTA Online players have come to accept the chaos as part of the experience. Whether due to technical hiccups or the unpredictable nature of an open-world game, GTA Online ensures that every session is as unpredictable as it is entertaining. After all, where else can you go from firing pistols on a street corner to being crushed by a falling helicopter in a matter of seconds?