Well, as more information about the final moments come to light it appears that the helicopter was no longer in level flight but in fact was descending at a rate of approximately 4000 ft per minute at the moment impact. The crash was said to have left a partial crater near the peak of that ridge. The data is beginning to lead to the conclusion that the pilot was experiencing spatial disorientation and may have been completely unaware of his attitude and direction of flight. If this is indeed accurate, then it really doesn't matter how close the impact was to the top of that hill. Without a significant amount of distance between the base of the cloud and the terrain, when he emerged from the cloud bank at the speed and angle the helicopter was flying, the crash was imminent and unavoidable.