Private helicopter pilot performs jaw-dropping rescue of stranded tourist 2000m up on the mountainside - after professional team failed to complete the mission and at first told him not to

  • Pilot Constantin Apăvăloaei saved a severely injured 44-year-old woman
  • She was stuck 2000 metres up on the Carpathian Mountains in Romania
  • Professional SMURD rescue team failed their mission two hours earlier
  • At first they had decided to deny Mr Apăvăloaei's  rescue request

By Francis Scott For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

This is the incredible moment a private helicopter pilot performs a jaw-dropping rescue of a stranded tourist – after the professional team could not complete the mission.

In an 'extreme and intense' manoeuvre heroic pilot Constantin Apăvăloaei saves a severely injured 44-year-old woman stuck 2000 metres up on the Carpathian Mountains.

Another walker on the Piatra Craiului range was able to capture the impressive sight on camera.

'Extreme and intense' manoeuvre:  A helicopter pilot attempts a daring rescue attempt
In an 'extreme and intense' manoeuvre heroic pilot Constantin Ap¿v¿loaei saves a severely injured 44-year-old woman

'Extreme and intense' manoeuvre:  A helicopter pilot attempts a daring rescue attempt

It shows Mr Apăvăloaei, from the private company Corbex Helicopters in Brasov, expertly steering the aircraft into position.

With astonishing skill he reverses the helicopter backwards towards the hiker, from Bucharest, with its tail facing the mountainside.

Staying completely stable despite the strong updraft he slowly moves into position, allowing rescuers to drop down to the stranded tourist, who had fallen 30m down a crevasse.

Smoothly they pick her up in under a minute, before the pilot flies her off to safety.

The viral video, which has hundreds of thousands of views, was posted on the National Dispatch Rescue Facebook page.

The tourist is stuck 2000 metres up on the Carpathian Mountains
With astonishing skill the pilot reverses the helicopter in backwards towards the hiker with its tail facing the mountainside

Heroic rescue: Pilot Constantin Apăvăloaei saves a severely injured 44-year-old woman

It transpires, according to Romanian news site Digi 24, that a SMURD rescue team had arrived much earlier but could not finish the mission.

An investigation has now been launched by the Department for Emergency Situations, after Mr Apăvăloaei was at first denied from carrying out the rescue himself.

The SMURD pilot reportedly flew around for more than an hour before deciding he could not lead the mission to an end.

Stabilization: The pilot reverses in backwards and steadies the aircraft against an updraft

Stabilization: The pilot reverses in backwards and steadies the aircraft against an updraft

Private pilot: Mr Ap¿v¿loaei had first been told not to attempt the feat after the professional SMURD team could not complete their attempts

Private pilot: Mr Apăvăloaei had first been told not to attempt the feat after the professional SMURD team could not complete their attempts

Head of Department Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, confirmed they were looking into the incident, suggesting those who intervened might have 'risked a little extra than the SMURD helicopter pilots'.

Yet he added great care is always taken as risking just that extra one per cent could lead to a disaster, with the blades possibly cutting the 'throats of those who are under the helicopter'.

Mr Apăvăloaei also defended the SMURD team, he said: 'Pilots are very good, but probably have some restrictions.'

The woman was seriously injured with a fractured femur, forearm and a head trauma. She was rushed to hospital in Târgu Mureș after the private helicopter took off for the second time, before carrying out the rescue in just eight minutes.

This is not the first time in recent memory a private crew has not been allowed to intervene in a rescue situation in Romania, reports bzb.ro. 

In October 2015 in the Mures area of Transylvania, a helicopter was stopped from trying to retrieve the victim of another serious accident on a ridge. 

Most watched News videos

Comments 295

Share what you think

  View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

  View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.