Wessex loggers grounded
CAA explains why firm's choppers remain grounded
07 April 2005
A Taranaki helicopter logging company has spent $7 million on 11 helicopters that it may not be able to use.
Civil Aviation Authority Director John Jones today briefed a parliamentary select committee on Heli-Logging Ltd's application for an exemption so it can use ex-military Westland Wessex helicopters from the United Kingdom in its Stratford based operation.
Mr Jones told the committee the model was not supported by the equivalent authority in the UK – it withdrew certification in the 1990s after serious accidents – which meant it did not qualify for normal New Zealand certification and an exemption would be required for the business to use it.
The CAA had concerns about using helicopters for a purpose they were not designed for.
"The military aircraft are designed for quite specific and different roles from civil and the design and maintenance of them is also different," Mr Jones told the committee.
"World-wide (there's) a very high accident rate for ex-military helicopters in civil operations and unfortunately in my view those accidents have resulted in a disproportionate number of fatalities."
In the United States in one 18 month period there were six logging accidents using ex-military helicopters – half those accidents were fatal taking nine lives.
In the UK a civilian model of the Wessex was involved in 27 accidents between 1976 and 1993.
And in New Zealand in 2001 Motueka pilot Peter McColl, 39, was killed when the adapted 1964 Westland Wessex helicopter he was using to recover logs near Motueka crashed.
Metro Logging Ltd, the Christchurch-based firm which owned the helicopter, was charged with running the operation in breach of the Civil Aviation Act and was fined $6000 on guilty pleas to 12 charges.
Other ex-military aircraft had been involved in several fatal accidents in New Zealand.
Mr Jones said another concern was that flight trials Heli-Logging did on the aircraft showed a 90 per cent reduction in the life of some components. Parts that would normally last 4000 hours only worked properly for 400 when the aircraft was used to carry logs.
After the briefing Mr Jones said the case was "unusual".
"Not many people would try use a special experimental category aircraft on commercial operations. It's not allowed under our laws at the moment," he said.
Mr Jones said most logging operators bought a normal certificated aircraft and do logging "and that's perfectly okay."
However Heli-Logging Ltd Managing Director Mark Ford did not see any reason against using the helicopters for logging.
"It's a very successful aircraft."
He said dealing with the CAA was like fighting a brick wall and there was "most definitely" personal animosity against him.
Other operators had told him CAA staff has said there was no chance the helicopters would be approved.
"I feel gutted," he said.
Mr Ford asked the High Court in December for an injunction to force Mr Jones to make a decision about his application but it was dismissed.
If the CAA refuse an exemption Mr Ford has vowed to keep fighting.
"We'll get there. We wouldn't have started it if we weren't confident."
At the moment Mr Ford has eight of the 40-year-old Wessex aircraft that cannot be used for anything but passenger work. Three are yet to be delivered from the UK. They were previously used by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
Mr Ford felt the process had taken far too long – he first applied for the exemption in January 2003 – but Mr Jones said considerable time and energy had gone into the case.
"We're doing everything we can. It takes a lot of time up to analyse this sort of stuff and we've got to be sure from a safety point of view that at the end of the day it's safe."