Wreckage found on Mt Karioi

[whiteknuckleairlines]

It is being reported that the wreckage of the missing eurocopter has been found on the slopes of Mt Karioi, two weeks after it went missing. The bodies are apparently still in the machine inidicating the impact was not survivable.

The official search has been criticised despite over 20 helicopters being used and ground teams searching.

To me it seems that the search was conducted correctly but I can understand the family wanting closure and to do everything possible.

Does anyone know of the search first-hand? Was anyone involved? If so, is there any substance in the criticism?

[pakeha-boy]

whitenuckles........wasnt involved in the search,but last tues was pig hunting on a block on the coast(just south of Raglan)....had two choppers fly over the top us,maybe 3O metres,.....local cocky informed us they were part of the search party(private I believe).

They were very interested as it was a slow,low affair,close to a hovering speed and mostly of the dense bush and coastline .Bit of a bugger as we lost the sound of the dogs....glad to see the wreckage has a least been found.....

[water wings]

I know a couple of the helicopter pilots involved in the search. As sad and unfortunate as this is they weren't surprised it happened. Low time pilot + bad weather + moving colour GPS map = Disaster.

At least the family have some answers now.

[flyby_kiwi]

From what I understand from the herald is that the family were frustrated not only at the search being called off early (in thier view) but difficulites in getting resources out of RCC even with private funding behind it, hence the US and Swedish providing equipment. Again this only from the herald.
Condolonces to the families, I can reason with the views from both sides of the fence but at least the family will have answers on what happened now, and good on the searches...... knowing some of those involved, it was a hard couple of weeks.

[ZK-NSJ]

was reported in the paper that the family were even willing to pay for an airforce orion to go up and search

[pakeha-boy]

Water wings.....you say the pilot was lowtime,bad wx etc....was he IFR rated?.....sort of seems a little strange that this bloke being so well off would have had the use of an "experienced" rotorhead.Also with that length of flight,their route of flight was either to avoid IFR conditons,or do the "tiki" of that beautiful coastline.Those familiar with this area will attest to its beauty.

To fly west ,is a flight we must all take

[WITCH]

Detective work led to Erceg's copter

MONDAY , 21 NOVEMBER 2005

By HANK SCHOUTEN
Meticulous detective work by a helicopter pilot and persistence led to the discovery of millionaire Michael Erceg's smashed helicopter.

The bodies of the liquor baron and his Dutch passenger, Guus Klatte, were recovered yesterday.

The wreckage of Mr Erceg's Eurocopter, which disappeared from radar while flying south from Auckland two weeks ago, was found on Saturday in a narrow strip of bush on farmland on the eastern slopes of Mt Karioi, about 20 kilometres south of Raglan.

Lion Foundation rescue helicopter pilot Guy Beange said searchers were directed to the area after Auckland Westpac rescue helicopter pilot Darryl Sherwin had done a careful analysis of error in the radar system that tracked Mr Erceg's fatal flight.

Mr Sherwin said yesterday that, two weeks ago, searchers were advised radar error could be up to 500 meters either side of its last reported radar position. He had flown on an earlier search flight and said that after analysing his own flight path and radar plots – and the radar plot of the missing helicopter – he calculated searchers should look 693 metres east of Mr Erceg's last reported radar position.

It took a few days to find other pilots who could understand what he was talking about and he was delighted when his calculations proved correct.

However, he was not critical of search coordinators. "No doubt something will be learnt from this, but that will come out in the debriefing."

Mr Sherwin said the strip of bush where the helicopter had gone down in a descending turn was in the middle of open farmland. "A second either way and it would have been over an open paddock and they would have found him straight away. Heaps of helicopters might have flown over that same strip of bush without thinking anything could be in there."

Mr Beange said the crash scene was spotted visually, and with the use of infra-red heat-seeking equipment on his Squirrel helicopter.

"There was a small area of damage where the aircraft went in but we also had the benefit of two weeks of dieback, which gave the bush a slightly different colour."

Official search efforts began at Karioi, then rapidly moved south toward Wanganui as possible sightings of the missing helicopter were checked out.

Bill Sommer of the Civil Aviation Authority said crash investigators were likely to be at the crash scene for up to three days. It could take up to nine months to complete the investigation.

Family and friends of the crash victims said yesterday they hoped lessons were learnt from the search.

Independent Liquor director and private search co-ordinator Roger Smith said: "Now is not the time to dwell on any mistakes that may have been made and issues as to how the search was conducted. These questions can be addressed at a later date."

[nz_phoenix]

Anyone want to comment on the likely hood of being able to fly from Raglan to the 'naki without once being spotted on radar?

The search was centered mostly around the 'naki despite the last radar spotting being in Raglan. Ironically enough thats where the chopper was actually found.

[Daqqy152]

As I understand there is no radar coverage in the naki, unless of course your nice and high

[water wings]

Pakeha-Boy.

No he was not instrument rated to my knowledge.

[Cloud Cutter]

SSR coverage at New Plymouth down to about 3000 ft, but in the vacinity of Raglan (north of Karioi) probably less than 1000 ft would paint in many places.