500 down in townsville

[imabell]

a hughes 500 has crashed near townsville in north queensland,

the machine was being used for powerline work and has apparently hit a wire.

the two people on board have been injured, their condition is unknown.

[topendtorque]

This one? ABC News online.

[/URL]
Safety Bureau to probe chopper crash

Posted Wed Apr 9, 2008 8:01pm AEST
Updated Wed Apr 9, 2008 8:00pm AEST

[URL="http://www.abc.net.au/news/maps/map.htm?lat=-19.2643&long=146.8118&caption=Townsville 4810"]Map: Townsville 4810 (javascript:void(0);)

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the cause of a helicopter crash just south of Townsville today.
The helicopter was working for a Powerlink contractor installing high voltage transmission lines when it plunged 20 metres to the ground near the Townsville Copper Refinery at Stuart, just before 10:00am AEST.
Alun Williams from the Wulguru Fire Station says the chopper was lucky to miss the refinery.
"If it had gone into the copper refinery itself, well I'm not sure what they actually use in that particular area, but it could have been pretty bad," he said.
The 36-year-old pilot from Tolga is undergoing surgery at the Townsville Hospital and his co-pilot, a 38-year-old man from Emu Park, was given precautionary treatment for spinal injuries.

[BigMike]

http://www.cairns.com.au/images/uploadedfiles/editorial/pictures/2008/04/09/WebUsual_CP10APR08P002_CC093655_HELICOPTER.jpg
Photo: Cairns Post
Seriously injured: Tolga pilot David Goodrich crash landed his helicopter in a paddock near Townsville yesterday. The two-seater Aeropower turboshaft helicopter was stringing powerlines when it went down.

From Townsville Bulletin:
"TWO men have survived a 20m plunge after their
helicopter crash-landed in Stuart yesterday morning.

About a dozen workmen watched in horror as the chopper's engine cut out, sending the out-of-control aircraft plummeting to the ground behind Xstrata's Copper Refinery on Pretoria St about 10am.

The two-seater Aeropower Turboshaft helicopter, which had been subcontracted by Downer EDI Engineering, was stringing high voltage transmission powerlines when it suddenly went down.

Both men were conscious when emergency workers arrived but in obvious pain.

It took firefighters about 45 minutes to free 36-year-old Tolga pilot David Goodrich, who was rushed to Townsville Hospital with suspected spinal injuries.

He was operated on following the crash and was listed in a serious condition last night.

The co-pilot, a 38-year-old Emu Park man, was able to free himself from the helicopter wreckage but was also hospitalised after collapsing at the crash site.

He was released yesterday afternoon.

The aircraft landed so heavily that the chopper's skids were crushed beneath the undercarriage.

Thick electrical cables the helicopter was attempting to string lay snaked across the ground surrounding the wreck.

Remarkably, the helicopter landed in grasslands, narrowly missing electrical transformers, several fences and nearby buildings.

Wulguru station officer Alun Williams said firefighters used the jaws-of-life to cut away the helicopter's controls to safely remove the injured pilot.

"He (the pilot) was encased so we wanted to get him out safely because QAS were worried about back injuries," he said.

"The pilot controls had to be removed to get the pilot out, but the co-pilot was already out."

Mr Williams said the two men were lucky to escape alive.

"With our job we always imagine the worst," he said. "It's (the helicopter's) come down fairly hard.

"The skids are actually perpendicular to the ground so they've come down fairly hard."

Stuart Police Station's Senior Sergeant Ian Wilkie said more than a dozen witnesses would be interviewed by police.

"Shortly before 10am a helicopter was engaged in moving power transmission cables between the transmission towers," he said.

"For unknown reasons the helicopter has appeared to have lost power and has come down heavily.

"The two male occupants were both conscious but they were both in pain.

"It looks like it's fallen about 20-30m."

Downer EDI Engineering is the principal contractor on the Powerlink project.

Officers from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau flew to Townsville yesterday afternoon to investigate the crash.

Department of Workplace Health and Safety also arrived at the crash site to investigate."

[topendtorque]

I believe the unlucky driver had already some fused vertabrae from a previous mishap.
he will be copping some giff, big time right now. obviously will need some TLC, wherever he is.

possibly an oppoprtune time to mention, for those in OZ at least, the PBF (http://www.pbf.asn.au/) (paraplegic Benifits Fund). a non profit org that provides $100G cash up front as soon as a positive diagnosis is to hand.

They also provide lots of mentoring and post accident advice. Their policies cost very little and can be extended to your families at home etc.

Their supluses they seem to put to good use.

I have no interest in them what so ever other than using their cover.

A very whorthwhile outfit. If such is not available in other countries, then here is your chance to do something about it. Tony South is a good contact from their society.
tet

[Te_Kahu]

Friday, 11 April 2008 Greymouth Star
by Rebekah Lyell
A former Hokitika man is lucky to be alive after the helicopter he was in plunged 20m to the ground in Australia on Tuesday. Darin Schroder, 38, who was co-pilot at the time, was taken to Townsville Hospital for treatment after sustaining neck and back injuries in the impact. The crash occurred at Stuart, in North Queensland. His mother, Jenny Schroder of Hokitika, said she was unaware of the accident until she started receiving phone calls from concerned friends and family. “I was out tending to his house at Lake Kaniere when I starting getting phone calls. I logged on to the internet to find out what was happening, luckily everyone was okay.” She said he had since told her the helicopter lost power and plummeted to the ground about 12 noon New Zealand time. “Darin told me there was nothing they could do, it had never happened before. They hit the ground at high impact and were very lucky they did not get tangled in the lines or catch fire.” Mr Schroder managed to roll free of the wreckage but collapsed soon afterwards. “Darin made it out by himself, but the pilot (David Goodrich) was trapped and emergency services crew used the ‘jaws of life’ to cut him free. The pilot has neck injuries, but thankfully they are both all right.” It was thought Mr Schroder would need surgery but doctors ruled that out yesterday afternoon; both men are in hospital in a stable condition. The helicopter landed in grasslands, narrowly missing electrical transformers, several fences and nearby buildings.The McDonnell Douglas 500 two-seater helicopter had been subcontracted to Downer EDI Engineering to string a new power line between two substations.