Helilog56, yes, I'm reminded of that Al Pacino line:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU
But this is it, last post here. I've put it simply, I've posted links and photos, I've backed up my opinions by quoting an expert. I get a few glimmers of comprehension, but mostly a blizzard of BS. "You need special jacks!" "There was dense fog!" "It was stuck in mud!" "You can't criticize the pilot's judgment, it's not done!" None of that was true, and of course most of the drivel was ad hominem insults with no attempt to address the facts. Boring and unprofessional.
Why am I interested in this incident? It's local, in a very popular place that I've hiked and photographed many times, so I know it better than any of you. I wondered why an undamaged $10 million airframe was sitting there on a broad, treeless, grassy slope. I learned the key word was "slope" and read a tutorial about landing a rotorcraft on a slope. It was quite interesting, I enjoy technical explanations and the science of flight.
I saw the photos and videos shot at the scene, which showed it lit up like a Christmas tree by the firefighters, and good visibility at ground level. I also knew it was parched out there, and later verified it: no mud whatsoever. There were lots of flat places to land, even paved roads and two gravel parking lots 300 yds/meters away, so there was no need to do a slope landing, or even land in a field.
So why was that airframe stuck there? PILOT ERROR. Why was it stuck there for 2 days? That's on the commander. My commander would have had that asset back in service ASAP.
So it's dark, there's a fog layer, wind out of the NW. Your mission is to transport a severely injured 4 yr old boy to the hospital. What do you do? Well heck, I'd land in the friggin' parking lot.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.3029...!3m1!1e3?hl=en
This being 2014, I've no doubt the CG has gps with terrain and surely bird's eye view. Just punch those numbers in, it's a clear shot in from the NE. No terrain, trees, or wires, 130' elevation. There's even a privy there, in case my PILOT ERROR comment caused someone to have a bowel movement.
Mission accomplished.