The dramatic final moments of a helicopter's emergency have been caught on camera.
While the pilots survived, the video shows just how close he and people on the ground were to a much more tragic outcome.
Just after 10pm on Thursday night (local time), the Hernando County 'Air 1' helicopter was assisting in the search for a wanted person.
Deputy Pilot Roy McLaughlin and Tactical Flight Officer BJ Hart were onboard and called in to dispatch saying they were having issues with the helicopter and were going to attempt to land as soon as possible. However, they were directly above a densely populated suburban housing area when the incident happened.
The situation worsened when Pilot McLaughlin said he could no longer see anything due to his goggles becoming fogged up.
"I can't see!" he's reported as saying to controllers on the ground.
However, McLaughlin flew in the direction of a nearby field at a local school, knowing the risk of losing control above housing would have endangered citizens.
As the pilot regained vision, the chopper made a rapid descent, eventually passing the school buildings and landing safely on the grass.
The helicopter was a Bell OH-58 and was kept on the ground at the school for mechanical checks.
Both crew members were uninjured. It's not known what happened to the wanted person.
