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Firefighter's chopper crashes

03/11/2005 23:39 - (SA)

Tisha Steyn

George - A man who flew his helicopter for hours, waterbombing fires raging in the area, escaped unscathed when the chopper ran out of fuel and crash-landed about 10m from the runway at George Airport.

"If it wasn't for Kobus, the restaurant would have burnt down," said Francina Terblanche, spokesperson for Bottelierskop Lodge on Thursday.

"At times the wind blew the sparks against the windows and the flames crept up against the thatched roof.

"But every time the water from Kobus's helicopter hit the target," she said of Kobus Crous's heroics on Wednesday.

Crous, 53, prevented flames from engulfing the thatched restaurant complex and luxury tents at the lodge, near Groot-Brak River.

It was one of 18 fires which had swept the Southern Cape on Wednesday.

Crous worked from early morning with his Bell 206-helicopter, to which a water bucket was attached, to get water from a dam on the farm and emptying it wherever the fire was burning out of control.

He refuelled sometime during the day.

"By the time I arrived, one of the tents had already burnt out.

"I flew from one fire to the other," Crous said on Thursday.

He was in radio contact with staff on the ground at all times.

By 16:00 he unhooked the bucket at his farm Bergsig near Mossel Bay and flew to Witfontein forestry station outside George to report to MC Botha, who co-ordinated firefighting in the Eden district.

While he was there, the army's Oryx C109 and C102 arrived to assist with the firefighting.

Crous then left for the George Airport to refuel before returning home.

"I thought there was at least four gallons of fuel left," he said.

"I was at an altitude of about 100m and about 200m from the fuel tanks at the airport, when the engine suddenly cut out.

"I tried to glide, but the earth approached very fast and I put the helicopter down next to the runway with quite a thump.

"The blades chopped off the tail, but no other damage was done - not even to the skids," he said. The Civil Aviation Authority visited the site on Thursday, said Yvette Schoeman, acting airports company manager at the airport.

Crous put the damage to the chopper at about R400 000.

Three adult rhinos burnt to death at Bottelierskop, said Terblanche.

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I thought there was at least four gallons of fuel left," he said.

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