Bribie Island

[penash]

TWO men have survived a helicopter crash on the northern tip of Bribie Island, north of Brisbane.

The helicopter crashed about 9am (AEST) in an area of mangroves at the northern tip of the island, just over 3km south-east of Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast.

A Queensland ambulance service spokesman said one of the men suffered chest injuries, while the other had sustained head and leg injuries.

The ambulance spokesman said the crash was in an area inaccessible to motor vehicles.

He said one helicopter had already landed at the crash scene and a second was on its way to take the men to hospital.

AAP

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

Are the Pilots OK, what happened ?.

[Time Out]

Instructor and student injured in chopper crash
Tanya Moore and Glenis Green
11Feb04

PLUNGING into a mangrove swamp may have saved the lives of a Malaysian policeman and his Sunshine Coast flying instructor when their helicopter crashed on the northern tip of Bribie Island yesterday, aviation experts said.

While both men suffered serious injuries and were airlifted to hospitals in Brisbane and Nambour, rescuers said the accident would have been worse if the crash had happened over the sea or hard ground.

"Not many people walk away from a helicopter crash," said Sunshine Coast Energex Rescue Helicopter crewman Col Essex, who was among those who rushed to the scene just after the accident happened about 9am.

The helicopter's pilot and instructor, Bruce Clark, 36, suffered abrasions to his face, bruising, chest and spinal injuries and was taken to Nambour General Hospital before being transferred to Princess Alexandra Hospital yesterday afternoon and was in a stable condition late yesterday.

His student, Syukry Bin Hamdan, aged in his late 20s, sustained spinal injuries and a fractured sternum or ribs, and was airlifted straight to Princess Alexandra Hospital by Queensland Rescue where he was in a serious but stable condition.

"One guy kept on screaming 'I can't feel my legs and I think I have a fractured waist' – that was the student," said Mr Essex.

He said the pilot had a black eye "and blood all over his face".

"Every time he tried to move he was screaming."

Mr Mecham said the helicopter, a Robinson R 22, looked as if it had struck the ground and bounced before coming to rest upright in an area of mangrove swamp with thick mud and a few centimetres of water.

"The pilot did a pretty good job in getting it down in one piece," he said.

The helicopter, operated by Chopperline Australia based at Caloundra Airport, was on a training flight when the accident happened.

Chopperline chief pilot, Tub Matheson said the duo had been practising forced landings in the helicopter which was only three months old.

Mr Matheson said one of the men was able to make a distress call to the office from a mobile phone at 8.47am with just the words "we've had a crash" and he had immediately notified 000.

He said an EPIRB tracking device in the helicopter also went off and rescuers were able to quickly pinpoint the crash site, about 2km south of the Caloundra bar.

Mr Matheson said Chopperline had been training members of the Malaysian Police Force as well as their "Bomba" Fire and Rescue crews since 1993 and currently had six police officers and two Bomba officers in training.

"I've been here 14 years and this is the first time anyone's had a scratch," he said.

Mr Matheson said the helicopter was a write-off.


source (http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,8646900%255E3102,00.html)