‘You’re Going to Crash’

The Leonardo Helicopters AW139 drifted toward rising terrain and rolled to the right as the pilot hovered near cliffs in Australia’s Blue Mountains, attempting to lower a paramedic to aid an injured bushwalker. To correct the drift, the pilot pulled away from the cliffs, and the helicopter pitched up to 51 degrees in a maneuver that over-torqued the engine, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says.

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