Nigel, you say
I'm surprised you think 1600-1700 ft (as stated by JE) is low level. Surely if you suffer from either LTE or LTA at that height or higher, you have plenty of time to recover, so there should be no need for a precautionary landing.
I think you'll find JE said
Before you all get carried away, all that I can report ATM is that the machine made a precautionary landing following a LTE which involved a loss of height of about 1600 - 1700 feet. The pilot made the right decision to land, and a check was made of the aircraft by a LAME, who was unsure of tolerances on the blade surfaces.
I think you'll find it was a loss of 1600-1700 ft and not AT 1600-1700ft. Given the height they were banner towing at that day, I am sure the recovery was damn close to sea level.
Well done.
Bevan..