PNG Prang

[Semi Rigid]

....helicopter smashes (2008) I count 4. One unfortunate bloke has cameod in 2 of them.
Early reports are that the latest one was a fatal. I think in the last 2 years there have been at least 8 but possibly more?
"Umremarkable" I hear you say?
Well it deserves attention. The PNG helicopter accident trend line must be developing a worryingly upward pointing vector. Given the huge number of hours flown, weather, terrain and some difficult projects, I think I wouldn't be out of line to state that PNG has enjoyed a relatively low rate of helicopter fatalities and hull loss during the last 15yrs.
Not op's normal in PNG's helicopter {mix-masta bilong jebus christ} world.:(

[gulliBell]

More helicopters in the country, more hours being flown, and more prangs of memorable note. Helifix, Pacific, Hevilift, Islands, HNG have all had prangs in the past year or 2. That just leaves one long term charter operator to be prang free, ever. But who knows the accident rate is anyone's guess as it is PNG, and there is no such thing as an accident investigation in PNG, and probably no official prang statistics either. I've certainly never seen anything official.

If you look at the pilots who are involved with the prangs, there's not much to conclude there. The double prang pilot is very experienced PNG, the HL and HNG fatals were both experienced pilots but not experienced in PNG (both on first tour), the Pacific prang was an experiened PNG pilot, and the Helifix prang was an inexperienced national pilot. So anyone can have a prang whether experienced in PNG or not.

[EBCAU]

Reading this it seems there has been another recent fatal in PNG? Can you enlighten please? There's nothing I can see on the Post Courier website.

[outta track]

I heard that there was a fatal today, B206L on seismic.
Helicopter industry in this part of the world not having a good month.

[Hughesy]

A friend just emailed me about a prang in PNG.
As we have a few mates up there we are wanting to find out a bit more.
Just hoping no one is hurt.

Could someone PM me?

Cheers.

[Semi Rigid]

Pilot was a New Zealander.

[Hughesy]

Thanks Semi.

Have heard it may be one of 3 we know. :(

[LongLine]

does anyone know what company it was and was anyone hurt?

[Chairmanofthebored]

I too would appreciate someone dropping the name of the pilot. A lot of us know most of the guys up there and it won't make an ounce of difference now.

Gullibell: In reply to your post and in no way being argumentative for the sake of it; I disagree with the statement of experience with the two pilot induced accidents of 2006.

I went looking for the first one and found the wreck. The particular pilot flew like lunatic for the one week(?) he was there. All manner of cowboy behaviour, poor airmanship and decision making witnessed from my cockpit as I worked around him. It was apparent that he had never worked in a mountainous environ nor been exposed to the weather seen in the PNG. The accident he caused is a collection of atrocious decisions resulting in the death of 3 people and his own maiming.
Later that year, another pilot flew into marginal conditions and killed himself and all aboard. Again, another pilot with no mountainous experience and in his situation - no mountain training from the company. He was released into a work environment he was unprepared for and the decision to put him online sealed his fate. He was another 'flat land' Australian pilot, used to continental weather patterns and untrained for the situation. The company management were derelict in their duty to provide a safe pilot to the passengers and customers.
These guys were 'experienced' in flat Australia but brand new to tropical weather and mountains.

These are my harsh criticisms and my opinions. I stand by them but are welcome to correction with adequate evidence. I watched the first accident unfold; I had intimate knowledge of the second.

End point - it doesn't matter if you have 10,000hrs. If they are 10,000hrs doing the same hour - experience is irrelevant.

[Fantome]

The PNG helicopter accident trend line must be developing a worryingly upward pointing vector.

Submit to Roger Bacon, Straight and Level and write out 100 times "I will not write yuckspeak."

[gulliBell]

Chairman, you read too much into what I said. The point is you can't really draw any conclusion of pilot experience vs likelihood of having a prang in PNG. The guys who have had prangs recently have been high time with high time in PNG, high time but low time PNG, and low time. Some days you just get out of the wrong side of bed and end up having bad luck. Sometimes you bring it on yourself, like the accident you referred to. Yeah I know all that, I said as much here: (http://www.pprune.org/4412388-post39.html)

[Dis-Mystery of Lift]

Just found out the Pilot was a good mate of mine...Not good.... was on the sauce with him two weeks ago.PM me with mates you have there that a Kiwi and I will let you know.

[ChopperNZ]

Out of respect for the family (who are still being notified) of the pilot involved in the terrible accident in PNG it would be appreciated if no personal details be posted for AT LEAST 48 hours.

[Hughesy]

Easy ChopperNZ. No one here is wanting to dishonour him or his family. :):)

RIP my friend, hope you have clear skies and light smooth winds forever. :sad:

[Te_Kahu]

Chopper pilot ‘killed in crash’
By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE pilot of a helicopter owned by Heli Niugini was reportedly killed when the aircraft crashed near Lake Murray in Western province.
PNG Air Service chief executive officer Collin Kuchel confirmed the crash and said the company was investigating how it occurred.
Sources said the expatriate pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed yesterday morning near Douglas well.
Rift Oil company has the licence to explore that area for oil.
Civil Aviation Authority officers said the last time the pilot communicated with them was on Wednesday afternoon.
The pilot had notified them from Kiunga airport that he was winding up for the day and would spend the night there.
But, he did not notify CAA officers when taking off from Kiunga for his trip before he crashed.
This was why there was a lack of preliminary information about the nature of the crash.

[RCG]

A New Zealand top helicopter pilot who counted celebrities such as Britney Spears and Mel Gibson amongst his passengers, has died in a helicopter crash in Papua New Guinea.

Aucklander Richard Paul Crook, 33, was working for a mining company searching for oil when he died last Thursday, The New Zealand Herald reported.

He was stationed in a camp in remote bush in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, near Lake Murray.

The accident happened after Mr Crook had delivered a load of mining equipment from his helicopter to miners situated in a clearing about 3km from the camp.

Desmond Ross, chief executive of the helicopter company that held the mining contract Heli Niugini, said it was not yet known what caused the crash.

The wreckage is expected to be transported on a barge to Heli Niugini's Port Moresby base for testing next week.

Mr Ross said Mr Crook was a top pilot and had several close friends within the company who were devastated by his death.

His body, which was in a funeral home in Papua New Guinea, was expected to be returned to New Zealand either today or tomorrow.

"We're so shattered," Mr Crook's mother Christine told the Herald.

"He was such a unique person, very special."

The pilot had previously worked for a Fijian charter flight company and had flown popstar Britney Spears from the airport to a private island and actor Mel Gibson and his family to Mago Island which Gibson owns.

Family friend Sean Fowke said Mr Crook was a "larger than life character" expert flyer.

"Every time I spoke to him about his flying he seemed to be so aware of every factor that came into it.

"This has certainly come as a shock to everyone who knew him."


The latest rumor was engine failure at the end of a 200 ft line in the hover. Any truth in this?

[ChopperNZ]

Just a note to advise that a service for Richard Crook has now been arranged.
Please find funeral details below for those who wish to attend and farewell Richard.

Date: Wednesday 8 October 2008
Time: 11:30 am
Where: North Shore Memorial Park Crematorium Chapel
235 Schnapper Rock Rd, Albany, Auckland

The family welcome anyone who would like to share any stories or to say a few words at the service.

All communications to:
H Morris Funeral Services PO Box 36-273, Northcote, Auckland
Phone: (09) 489-5737

[rotarywinger]

I agree with gulliBell that time/experience/hrs/background has very little to do whether one bends a machine or not. For my 20 yrs in PNG listening to those that say unless you've flown in NZ then you can't fly in PNG, Bull..S
Flying around NZ in the freezing cold can pull the density alt. down to a low level whilst a high temp. in Oz can give similar D As anyway. Whilst chairmanoftheboard has a point re the 3 dead 1 maimed incident he knows of I new the pilot for 35 yrs & yes no-one is perfect. However, the guy did his early flying in Fixed wing in PNG which to my observations is a damn site harder (VFR) than what us chopper drivers put up with. I flew with this guy with him in the left seat for 3-4 hrs & the area he needed to know was about 5miles square with fuel no more than 3 mins away. The next day I sat in the left seat for 3-4 hrs whilst he did his thing which he did quite competently, & why not he'd been flying since '72. I left him with the thought that there is no need to stuff with the weather, everything is very close by including road transport for pax if required. The fact that his persona/decision making ability/ just plain having a bad day came to the fore is regrettable but stuff all to do with where he was flying before. When your time is up its up, simple but all to true sometimes:{