| #3 Always having to be the technical guy here. As he approached the ridge he was facing the wind. This wind acts like a wave as it goes over the ridge. So when he gets closer the wind is pushing him down so he wont make the landing. What does he do? He pulls more power, trying to climb high enough to clear the rock, and he made it. But here is where I'm not sure, one of two things happen. Either the added power caused him to wash out his tail rotor with the down blast from the rotor, called Loss of tail rotor effectiveness, LTE. Or because of the torque demand he decided to make a right pedal turn to turn for departure. A right pedal turn takes less torque. In either event the wind, remember that wave? It got under the tail and lifted it blowing him off the mountain. As he went off the aircraft will weather vain to the wind, he had no control at this point. And it descends with the wave. So the old saying applies, "If your going to be stupid, you better be lucky." |