Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific Airline and RPT Rumours & News in Australia, enZed and the Pacific

NZ Police helo bent

Old 10th Nov 2006, 06:51
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 137
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
NZ Police helo bent

Police survive chopper crash on coastline search
10 November 2006

A mystery man whose body lies unidentified in a Christchurch morgue almost caused the deaths of four others in a helicopter crash on the West Coast yesterday.

The helicopter with a pilot and three Greymouth police officers aboard hit a wire about 1.45pm and crash-landed on a rocky beach about 1km north of where the man's body washed up naked near Meybille Bay 10 days ago.

The pilot of the Robinson R44 helicopter, a local man, was admitted to Greymouth Hospital with "non life-threatening injuries" but the three police officers escaped unscathed.

A hospital spokeswoman said this afternoon the pilot was in a stable condition.

Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) officers are investigating.

Police were making a coastline search for clothing that might be associated with the naked body found by tourists who stopped at a sightseeing point along the rugged coastline 8km north of Punakaiki on October 31.

West Coast area police commander Inspector Vern Morris today praised the local pilot's skills for preventing a possible tragedy.

Mr Morris said the pilot, who he declined to name, did a "great job" in making a controlled forced landing.

"They were pretty low when they hit the wire," he said.

"He landed it on the beach and hopped it a bit closer above the high tide.

"They were very lucky. It could have been a lot worse," Mr Morris said.

He said he hadn't yet spoken to the pilot or his family but was "very relieved" his three officers escaped without injury.

Mr Morris said he understood the pilot had a piercing wound, possibly from perspex shrapnel from the helicopter's windscreen.

Police would leave it to TAIC to investigate the crash circumstances but Mr Morris said he would expect reports from the three officers.

"I've had informal discussions with them and got an overview of their view of things," he said.

"They're fine."

Acting chief inspector of air accidents Ken Mathews said TAIC's investigator-in-charge Peter Williams travelled to the crash site today.

He was out of communication this afternoon.

Mr Mathews said there had been initial confusion about how many people were aboard the helicopter with "conflicting reports".

Findings from the investigation could take up to six months to be made public.

Police were searching the coastline for more clothing from the body of a Caucasian man, aged about 30, who they believe was an itinerant. The body, wearing only a wristwatch, was found at the high tide mark.

A post mortem examination revealed no definitive cause of death, but ruled out assault.

Police have released an identikit and pictures of clothing items found near the body to try to solve the mystery.

They are still seeking information about a man seen walking along the coastal road near Punakaiki and last seen in a sleeping bag camped on a beach.
Sensible Garage is offline  
Old 10th Nov 2006, 07:49
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: .
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Gday,

Must be some dead body

Causes a chopper to hit a wire???

Not sure how the deceased gained control of the Helo and directed toward the powerlines??

Glad all in the Helo walked away to tell the story, they go in hard at times the old angry palm tree!

Cheers,

Con
Contract Con is offline  
Old 11th Nov 2006, 07:05
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Alice Springs
Posts: 1,744
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wires

Yet another flying machine brought down by wires. Surely aircraft traps should be illegal
bushy is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.