Distance from Lausanne to Monaco is some 320km or some 180 nautical miles as the crow flies. But crows probably dont like to clear the highest peaks of the French Alps (Mont-Blanc is some 16'000 feet). Any route flyable without crossing the highest peaks (both VFR or IFR) is more like 550 km / 300 nm (either via Italy or via Rhone Valley) . I have never flown this type of helicopter, but the route seems to be close to the max range particularly if the weather is marginal. It is just remarkable that the rotors are still attached to the head, which could mean that they were neither under power nor properly autorotating. No fire either, so fuel exhaustion seems to be a possible cause of this accident.
Last edited by clearedtocross; 30th Nov 2022 at 12:29.