Time Out
20th Oct 2003, 21:35
Helicopter crew have lucky escape after crash
October 20, 2003
By Farook Khan
Three men came within seconds of a watery death after the Nokia Search and Rescue helicopter ditched into the sea off the Bluff at the weekend.
The pilot and two lifesavers were on routine patrol when the stricken machine crash-landed on a rocky outcrop.
The trio - New Zealand-born pilot Murry Henry and local surf lifesavers Ryan Dunbar and Ryan Taylor - baled out of the Bell Jet Ranger moments before it flipped over and plunged into the wind-lashed sea.
Helicopter owner Carol Sobey says: "After everybody got out, the helicopter tipped over and fell into the sea."
"The helicopter is a write-off," says Sobey, whose company JNC Helicopters operates a fleet of nine choppers.
The Ranger costs R3 million.
Nokia Search and Rescue co-ordinator Mike Rodda was on the scene shortly after the crash.
Says he: "Those guys are lucky to be alive. The helicopter is damaged beyond repair. All three men are very shaken and they are now trying to get over the ordeal. They're all experienced, but when this kind of thing happens, it can be really traumatic."
In spite of weekend newspaper reports, Rodda is adamant the helicopter was fitted with flotation attachments, and points out that any helicopter flying over the sea must, by law, be fitted with such devices.
Daily News (http://www.dailynews.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=500&fArticleId=264619)
October 20, 2003
By Farook Khan
Three men came within seconds of a watery death after the Nokia Search and Rescue helicopter ditched into the sea off the Bluff at the weekend.
The pilot and two lifesavers were on routine patrol when the stricken machine crash-landed on a rocky outcrop.
The trio - New Zealand-born pilot Murry Henry and local surf lifesavers Ryan Dunbar and Ryan Taylor - baled out of the Bell Jet Ranger moments before it flipped over and plunged into the wind-lashed sea.
Helicopter owner Carol Sobey says: "After everybody got out, the helicopter tipped over and fell into the sea."
"The helicopter is a write-off," says Sobey, whose company JNC Helicopters operates a fleet of nine choppers.
The Ranger costs R3 million.
Nokia Search and Rescue co-ordinator Mike Rodda was on the scene shortly after the crash.
Says he: "Those guys are lucky to be alive. The helicopter is damaged beyond repair. All three men are very shaken and they are now trying to get over the ordeal. They're all experienced, but when this kind of thing happens, it can be really traumatic."
In spite of weekend newspaper reports, Rodda is adamant the helicopter was fitted with flotation attachments, and points out that any helicopter flying over the sea must, by law, be fitted with such devices.
Daily News (http://www.dailynews.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=500&fArticleId=264619)