Originally Posted by
Rotorbee
Well, it could be, but the AS350 isn't know for having a weak tail rotor. I tend to believe in occam's razor, therefore a left turn initiated by the pilot seems the most likely. Where else would he be going? He was slow, almost hovering. The ridge was to his left and behind and in front and right were clouds. I would rather look into pressure by the customer. A politician who ranted because he wasn't rescued fast enough. Some self appointed alpha male who didn't understand at all that clouds are not fluffy things you can just punch trough in a helicopter. He should be grateful to be alive and thank all the trees that cushioned the fall.
All good points Rotorbee and you may well be right. It is valid about turning back where he came from. I was going more along the lines of correlation not been the same as causation. Heavy Heli in the mountains pedal turns downwind off power and loses control with high rate of turn all while sinking stood out to me. It looks to me as if he turns downwind also based only on the clouds. I didn't analyze this one too thoroughly, the root cause is clear to everyone.