Terrifying video shows the moment a tourist reached for a lever in a helicopter cockpit that would have sent the chopper plunging into the Grand Canyon.
In the video, the pilot appears to lightly touch the lever. Shortly afterward, the tourist sitting next to him attempts to grab the instrument.
“No! That will kill us!” the pilot screams while moving her away.
The passenger reached for the helicopter’s rotor brake – which is designed for use on the ground to stop the propeller from moving.
Cherlin Bijlsma, a passenger in the back of the helicopter, witnessed the moment during. The 27-year-old from the Netherlands was on a holiday traveling around the West Coast of the US.
One of the pitstops was at the world-famous Grand Canyon, where she decided to take part in the tour.
Cherlin said: “We watched a safety briefing video – so they must have not paid attention.”
She added: “When the pilot scolded her I looked at her in between the seats and I saw that she smiled at the pilot.
“It was an awkward smile. I’m not sure if she said anything back to the pilot. I did hear their voices on the audio, but I didn’t hear them at that moment.
“The lady who grabbed the lever was there with what I think was her daughter. It looked like she didn’t understand English very well.”
The tour group soon managed to get to the Grand Canyon and then made their way back to the base.
Cherlin said: “When we landed my friend – who was also in my travel group – jokingly thanked the pilot for ‘saving our lives’.
“The pilot laughed while shaking his head, he said something like ‘oh my, oh my’.”
The harrowing footage was captured on June 14. In 2018, a helicopter touring the canyon crashed, killing five people and injuring two others.
Nearly six million people visit the Grand Canyon every year, making it the second most popular national park in the US following the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee.
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