Helicopter accident Dubbo NSW

[belly tank]

Details a bit sketchy yet but i found this,

One killed in crop-duster crash
November 22, 2004 - 4:14PM

At least one person is dead after a crop-dusting helicopter crashed today near Dubbo in NSW.

The helicopter with three people on board came down near the Golden Highway at Dunedoo, about 20km from Dubbo, just after 3pm (AEDT), a NSW police spokeswoman said.

Details were sketchy, but at least one person died at the scene, the spokeswoman said.

The cause of the crash was not known.

The NRMA Careflight helicopter was on its way to the scene.

AAP

[grenade]

15k west of Dunnedo. 3POB. 2 males fatal, 1 female serious.

news.com.au

[John Eacott]

ABC News Online (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1248919.htm)

"Helicopter crash kills 2

Two people have died in a helicopter crash in the New South Wales central-west this afternoon.

An ambulance service spokesman says the helicopter, with three people on board, crashed into powerlines 12 kilometres east of Dunedoo.

The accident happened just after 2:30pm AEDT.

The spokesman says two men are dead and their bodies are still trapped in the wreckage.

A woman is in a critical condition. She was thrown from the helicopter, which then landed on her.

He says the woman has been freed and the Careflight rescue service is on its way to the scene.

He also says there is a risk of an explosion because the helicopter is leaking fuel."



Melbourne Herald Sun (http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11463258%255E1702,00.html)

"TWO men are dead and a woman seriously injured after a private helicopter crashed into power lines in central western NSW.

The helicopter with three people on board came down on a property adjacent to the Golden Highway at Dunedoo, about 90km from Dubbo, about 3pm (AEDT), a NSW police spokeswoman said.
Two men were dead and their bodies trapped in the wreckage when paramedics arrived, according to a NSW Ambulance Service spokesman.

A woman was stabilised at the scene and flown by the NRMA Careflight helicopter to Dubbo Base Hospital.

She was in a serious condition with abdominal and limb injuries, the spokeswoman said.

The cause of the crash was not known.

Police said it was understood the helicopter was engaged in land surveying work."

[John Eacott]

Bell 206, Firebird 247: white with blue stripes (?) shown lying on its side in tonight's ABC News. Not sure whose it is, it was reported as being on locust eradication operation. Third helicopter crash on this type of operation in three months :(

[John Abersynth]

VH-CSH (Ex VH-PMR). B206 . Operator Heli-Aust. Ironically same firebird number as VH-AZH which crashed in Benorra Dam Nr. Canberra in Jan 2002.

RIP

[helo1]

John it was VH-CSH ex VH-PMR
Heli-Aust owned it.
Firebird 247.
Its ironic that the same Firebird no was on VH-AZH when it went into Bendora Dam

[belly tank]

Condolences to the families, i beleive the H aust driver was from New zealand R.I.P

PIC OFF TV

http://hoore.com/ext/heli_247.jpg

[Phoenix Rising]

Anyone know who the kiwi pilot was, drop me a PM if you do.

:(

[Heliport]

This report contains a description of the accident by a witness who watched it happen. Mrs Cox said her 32-year-old son Garry had been in the helicopter moments before it crashed.
"They'd done one little inspection (for locusts) and had gone about 50 metres and were going to put (the helicopter) down again and that's when it hit the powerlines," she said.
Two sets of powerlines intersected to form a T at the point where the helicopter crashed, Mrs Cox said. Link (http://dubbo.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=352305&y=2004&m=11)

Very sad.

[Granny]

Was the Kiwi Pilot S P ?

[Phoenix Rising]

Just made some phone calls and the intials of the pilot are R H and he had recently come back from PNG.

:(

[shorthorn]

Deepest condolences to Jenny and little David Ross. You will be sadly missed by all who knew you. Your friendly manner and humbleness belied your 10000 hours. You will remain in my thoughts forever. Ooroo.

[SMOUFW]

I didn;t know the pilot however I know other Pilots who knew him well. A good pilot and good bloke. I wonder if a wire strike kit would have prevented this tragedy? Should it be a requirement doing this type of work????

[Phoenix Rising]

One thing that is not common knowledge is that there have been five (5), yes five wirestrikes over the past month.

Maybe its about time some courses were run about working around the wire environment.

[shanel]

A dear friend and a great pilot. He will be sadly missed.
Deepest sympathy to Jenny and David.

[John Abersynth]

From my recollection of this aircraft, it was fitted with a wire strike kit. I don't think it was removed during the transition from pmr to csh. I stand to be corrected however.

[SMOUC]

CSH was not fitted with a wire strike kit at the time.

[Heliport]

From the Bendigo Advertiser Bendigo pilot dies in crash

BENDIGO is mourning the loss of local pilot Ross Mill, who died in a helicopter crash in central Western NSW on Monday.

It is believed the helicopter crashed into power lines during locust control work, killing another male and injuring a female passenger. The chopper came down near the Golden Highway at Dunedoo, about 90 km from Dubbo, about 2.30 pm.

Mr Mill, 36, shared his time between work as a pilot in Papua New Guinea and his wife and 11-month son in Bendigo.
After Christmas, he had planned to gain more permanent work in the region so he could settle with his family.

Family and friends gathered in Bendigo yesterday to remember the man they described as a loveable bloke with a great sense of adventure. Mr Mill enjoyed a career as a helicopter pilot, recently clocking up more than 10,000 hours of flying.

WHEN the phone rang on Monday afternoon, it was to deliver the news no one wants to hear. And this wasn't the first time for Jennie Samuel. Earlier in her husband's flying career she had been told he had died in a helicopter crash while en route in Papua New Guinea. Luckily, it had been a mistake.

On Monday, there was no mistake. Ross's helicopter had gone down, killing him instantly. Jennie had lost a husband. David had lost his dad. His family had lost a brother and uncle. His friends, a well-loved mate.
But when the family gathered in Bendigo on Tuesday night, it was the sound of laughter which helped push aside the sadness.
They remembered Ross's stories, chuckled at old photos and marvelled at his adventures as they pulled out his flight log books.
His brother, Chris, recalls his days at school. While he may not have been a studious pupil, it was his entrepreneurial skills that stood him apart from most teenagers.
"He was well known for his wheeling and dealing. He'd sell anything to his mates. He even sold mum's lawn mower once." Even before he had his licence, he went into a car yard business with friend Wayne Hall.

But, it was his passion for flying that would change his life. As long as the family could remember he wanted to be a pilot.
"He would ride his bike down to the airport to get his pilot's licence when he was 17," Chris said. His career in the air took him on many adventures, including some big rescues.

Well-known around PNG as a charter pilot, he was on first name basis with the prime minister Sir Michael Somare. In October, 1999, he met local Papuan girl Jennie Samuel.

Although they lived in Lae, in PNG, Jennie relocated to Australia 18 months ago.
"It was too dangerous over there; because we had money we were a threat and that made us a target," Jennie said.
The couple's son, David, was born in Bendigo 11 months ago.
They had planned to pick up their wedding rings in a couple of weeks.
It would have been their first Christmas together in Australia.

To his friends in PNG he was called `The Reverend'.
Jennie said Ross found he could make a bit of extra money by taking people out to exotic islands and marrying them. "So that's what he did. He studied theology and became a reverend." Cheating death so many times during his career, his family still find it hard to believe he's gone.

For Jennie, the memories will never fade. Every time she looks at her son, he will remind her of Ross.

"I was lucky to have him," she said.
Very sad.

[sling load]

Ross,
What a top bloke. I always enjoyed our chats at Mt Hagen when you came through,and the overnights at the bar, a true gentleman. Condolences to the Mill family.

SL

[rotaryman]

My Thoughts are with you Rev!

A great bloke and Friend that will be sadly missed by all that had the pleasure to have known him.

We shared many a beer talking of his exploits and adventures.

Condolences to his family.

Does anyone know of the details for the Funeral?

[lifer1]

I Knew and worked with Ross for many years in PNG ,this is a tragic loss to a lot of people.
Had many good times with Ross around the Moro area and in latter years Lae when he was with HNG based there.
A true gentleman with a great sence of humor and always a good scheme on the go.He would often finish a yarn or storie with the term "bless you my son".
Condolances to his family.
G S .

[BigMike]

I met 'The Reverend' a couple of times back on the Gold Coast in early 1999, and enjoyed a memorable night out with him and a couple of other old PNG hands. A real character with some very funny stories. A hard bloke to forget.

My condolances to the Mill family.

MF

[Time Out]

Conclusions: Aerial campaigns such as aerial locust control operations are conducted in relatively
hazardous environments that also have the potential to be high-risk environments. Campaign
control organisations are directly involved in numerous aspects of the aerial component of
these campaigns and can increase or decrease the risk of these operations.
While the aerial component of the operation is provided by an aerial contractor, the campaign
control organisation is in a central position to understand the big picture. The adoption of
good systems for managing risk by the contracting organisation can provide an effective
additional layer of defences over and above that provided by each operator to protect against
an incident or accident.
Many complex organisations operating in a hazardous environment, such as major public air
transport companies, recognise the influence they have on safety. While they may subcontract
many safety-critical aspects of their operations these organisations still maintain an interest in
the safety of these operations and proactively manage safety beyond what is required by
regulation. Similar methods can be effective for mitigating risk in aerial campaigns.
The focus of this paper is on aviation safety, but it is recognised that there are hazards in other
components of a campaign. For example, in the case of locust, there are hazards associated
with ground vehicles and chemical application. However, risk management processes can
guide the organisation towards the lowest risk solution to a problem if they are integrated into
all aspects of an operation.
After the two helicopters accidents involved in locust control in NSW in October and
November 2004, the organisation overseeing these operations has advised the ATSB that it
has taken considerable steps towards safer operations by developing more comprehensive
safety management systems. The organisation has consulted widely with aviation industry
bodies, aerial operators and other government departments and has developed risk controls
based on a risk management approach to the entire locust control campaign.
At the time of publication of this research paper, the ATSB has released investigation reports
for the Mudgee (BO/200404285) and Forbes (BO/200404286) accidents. The fatal accident
in Dunedoo (BO/200404590) is still under investigation. The ATSB is also conducting
further research into wire strike accidents. The results of this research will be released in the second half of 2005.

For the full report with pictures and map:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2004/AAIR/pdf/aair200404590_001.pdf (http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2004/AAIR/pdf/aair200404590_001.pdf)