A helicopter has plunged off a boat and crashed onto a dock during a test flight.
The pilot was attempting to take off from a tuna fishing boat when disaster struck.
Footage shows the pilot struggling to lift the chopper off the vessel’s helipad.
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The chopper teeters from side to side before suddenly toppling over the edge of the upper deck.
The rotor blades appear to chop off the helicopter’s tail as it plunges off the boat and crashes to the ground below.
Another clip shows rescue workers gathered around the crashed helicopter on the dock.
The bungled test flight was filmed at the Port of Posorja in western Ecuador yesterday (Nov 19).
The chopper’s cabin was damaged along with the tail and part of its propellers, as reported by Need To Know.
An ambulance arrived at the dock to treat the pilot for his unspecified injuries.
It’s unclear if the pilot had to be transferred to hospital for further medical care.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway.
One local claimed: “It seems like a bad manoeuvre by the pilot.”
Ricardo said: “It lacked sufficient power for take-off.”
Andres added: “Looks like the pilot was too inexperienced to take off from this type of boat.”
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