DRAMATIC footage captured the moment a low-flying helicopter descended from the fog and startled motorists.
Brian Weatherall, from Easington Village, Durham, was on holiday with his family when the terrifying incident occurred.
The 45-year-old was driving along the Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District yesterday when the low flying helicopter appeared from the mist.
Brian can be heard gasping in surprise as the helicopter appears, while his family erupted in laughter once it disappeared.
Social media users were quick to comment on the post, with many locals saying they had also seen the chopper and wondered how it had managed to get through the mountain pass.
Brian uploaded the clip to Facebook with the caption: “Ok I’ll give way! Cumbria is full of surprises. Especially when the SAS are about.”
The footage has already been viewed over 35,000 times.
The clip begins with Brian and his family driving down the Kirkstone pass – with very low visibility.
A cyclist wearing an orange jacket and another vehicle in front can be seen, but a thick fog covers most of the view.
A few moments later the helicopter can be seen appearing from the mist, and then the loud thundering of the helicopter blades can be heard.
The chopper, which appears to be a civilian aircraft, becomes visible and flies within a few feet of Brian and his family.
Brian can be heard telling his children “That’s a helicopter” as one of them responds “Wow”.
The helicopter then moves out of view as the family begin to laugh heartily.
Brian can be heard saying: “Dear me. That’s not something you see very often.”
On social media, David Parker joked: “Think you had right of way, he was on the wrong side of the road.”
Colin Noble added: “This is the kind of stuff we used to see in my backyard. Often used to see the air force flying through valleys looking down on them from mountain tops.”
Lm Johnson added: “Just your average country drive then.”
Declan Morland wrote: “Thank you so much for that footage it’s awesome. Them lot are nuts doing that.”
Christian Grammer said: “That’s completely mad, Brian. We watched it scoot over Ullswater at Glenridding and into the dense cloud bank that started in Patterdale. I wondered how the hell they would manage. Thanks for answering that one.”
Ross Mitchell concurred, writing: “We saw the helicopter pass very low over Ulswater and wondered how it managed to get through the mist at the top of the pass. Mystery resolved. Great footage.”
Speaking today, Brian said: “We were excited if anything, the kids loved it. It was an amazing sight.”
