Four dead in chopper crash

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Source: Courier-Mail (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18235107-28101,00.html)

Four dead in chopper crash
From: By Cameron Atfield of Brisbane's Courier-Mail
February 22, 2006
A HELICOPTER crash in north-west Queensland has claimed the lives of all four people on board, air safety authorities say.

The wreckage of the Robinson R44 helicopter, which had been missing since yesterday, was found late this morning.
The chopper was found in inaccessible country near Mt Gordon, northwest of Mt Isa.

The terrain was so rugged that authorities were unable to send a vehicle to the crash site and used a helicopter to winch down a searcher to examine the wreckage.

A Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman said searchers found no survivors.

The spokesman said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau would send an investigation team to the crash site.

The four-seater helicopter, operated by North Australian Helicopters Pty Ltd, left Mount Isa airport about 6.30am yesterday.

It refuelled at Mt Gordon airport and the female pilot, 28, picked up three male passengers.

They were to conduct a geological survey of the Mt Gordon and Mt Kelly area.

The helicopter was due to land at Mt Kelly at 4.15pm and return to Mt Isa by 7.30pm. It never arrived at Mt Kelly, although there were reports of a helicopter being heard in the area between 4.15pm and 5.15pm.

Earlier today, Australian Search and Rescue spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins said the search had been centred on a 720km/sq area near Mt Kelly, about 100km north of Mt Isa.

"The main reason we're searching there is the helicopter was due there at last light last night and a helicopter was heard there at about 5pm," she said.

"The area is undulating with rocky outcrops and it is quite rugged."

Ms Jiggins said two fixed-wing aircraft, a Queensland Police Search and Rescue helicopter and three local helicopters had been involved in the search.

"The locals know the terrain very well," she said.

The helicopter was fitted with a crash-activated radio location beacon, a hand-held beacon and a portable satellite phone.

No emergency beacons were activated, according to AusSAR.

[Pass-A-Frozo]

Source: AAP (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18248253-2,00.html)

Crash pilot 'forced to land'
By Roberta Mancuso

February 23, 2006

THE pilot of a helicopter that crashed in outback Queensland probably experienced a mid-air emergency that forced her to attempt a landing, her employer said today.

John Logan, chief pilot of North Australian Helicopters in Mount Isa, said Scotswoman Vita Stott could have experienced mechanical problems before crashing on Tuesday in rough terrain about 150km north of the mining city.
"At first the speculation would be that she tried to land there and it was pilot error," Mr Logan said today.

"But the more we look at it, it looks like she's been flying along and they've had an emergency.

"That was the most clear looking spot (the crash site) to go in to land because the aircraft hit the ground harder than she'd be doing if she was in there trying to land."

Ms Stott, 28, of Berwickshire, and three male passengers, 35, 38 and 50, died instantly when their Robinson R44 helicopter plunged into a hill and burst into flames near the Gunpowder copper mine.

Mr Logan said he notified the national search and rescue co-ordinator AusSAR after the helicopter did not return to Mount Isa at the expected time of 7.30pm (AEST) on Tuesday.
The wreckage was found shortly before midday yesterday.

One of the men, whose names have not been released, was an employee of mining company CopperCo Ltd.

The helicopter had been chartered by the company to inspect a proposed water and power supply from the Gunpowder mine to another copper mine at nearby Mount Kelly.

Mr Logan said Robinson R44 helicopters had been involved in several fatal crashes around Australia, including one that killed cattle king Brian Oxenford, 74, and pilot Justin Wallace, 37, near Roma in south-west Queensland in September 2004.

But he said North Australian Helicopters, which owned four R44s, had never experienced any problem.

"It's really strange. Robinson helicopters are noted for not catching on fire," Mr Logan said.

"I'm not saying it wasn't pilot error or a problem with the Robinson helicopter but I have full faith in Vita's flying and she had no reason (otherwise) to land where she did."

Ms Stott graduated from the Sunshine Coast flying school Becker Helicopters last May before taking up her first piloting job with North Australian Helicopters.

Police last night guarded the crash site where they were to be joined today by the Disaster Victim Identification Squad and Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) officers.

An ATSB spokesman said it was still unknown whether officers had yet reached the site.

A police spokeswoman later said two of the bodies were recovered from the wreckage this afternoon.

"They're being flown to Mount Isa where they'll be stored overnight and then be flown to (Brisbane's) John Tonge Centre probably tomorrow for a post-mortem," she said.

"They're hoping by 5pm (AEST) all the other bodies will have been recovered as well."

The spokeswoman said it was unlikely the wreckage would be cleared by today.

One of the male passengers killed in the crash had been a long-term local who worked for Mount Isa surveying company Lodewyk, a spokesman confirmed.