A helicopter pilot could be heard exclaiming “Holy s*it!” as a vulture slammed into his chopper windscreen.
Footage from the cockpit shows how he spotted the huge bird hurtling towards him and attempted a sharp turn.
But before he could get out of the way, it slammed into the windscreen head-on and at full force over the hilly terrain.
READ MORE: Hero staffer disarms gun-wielding crook with jiu-jitsu move in GP surgery
The impact was so hard that an iPad fixed to the inside of the windshield with a suction cup was sent flying towards him.
Pilot Cleyson Freire could be heard blurting out “Holy s*it! Damn, bro!” as the device missed him by a whisker.
Luckily, the polycarbonate windscreen withstood the hit and the alert pilot managed to keep the copter under control.
Freire was operating the executive flight from Jundiaí to São Paulo, Brazil, as reported by Need To Know.
Following the scare, Freire managed to land the Robinson R66 at its intended destination without further incident.
Helicopters scare birds more than other types of aircraft, according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
EASA recommends that pilots use helmets and eye protection and fly at a minimum of 2,500 ft when possible.
The agency also advises against flying along rivers or shorelines or over wildlife sanctuaries, where birds concentrate.
The New World vulture seen in the clip may have been a black vulture (Coragyps atratus) or a turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).
The former can weigh up to 6.6 lb, with a 66-in wingspan, while the latter can weigh up to 5.3 lb, with a 72-in wingspan.
READ MORE: Burned homeowners clamber onto car roofs after BOILING water floods residential street
