Chopper crash in Borneo
Chopper crash in Borneo
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The Star. 11 September 2000
Two loggers hurt in copter crash
KUCHING: A helicopter on a logging mission crashed in the Belaga district, seriously injuring two New Zealanders on Saturday.
They were identified as pilot Smert Donald James, 43, and Richard Mills, 41.
Both were believed to have suffered broken limbs in the 3pm incident.
The victims were taken in another helicopter to Bintulu Hospital at 6.30pm and transferred to the Normah Medical Specialist Centre here yesterday.
Belaga police have sent officers to the crash site to start initial investigations.
This is the second crash this year involving helicopters used to transport logs in the interior hilly areas where construction of logging roads is difficult and expensive.
Two loggers hurt in copter crash
KUCHING: A helicopter on a logging mission crashed in the Belaga district, seriously injuring two New Zealanders on Saturday.
They were identified as pilot Smert Donald James, 43, and Richard Mills, 41.
Both were believed to have suffered broken limbs in the 3pm incident.
The victims were taken in another helicopter to Bintulu Hospital at 6.30pm and transferred to the Normah Medical Specialist Centre here yesterday.
Belaga police have sent officers to the crash site to start initial investigations.
This is the second crash this year involving helicopters used to transport logs in the interior hilly areas where construction of logging roads is difficult and expensive.
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New Straits Times.
Copter crash: Two hurt
By Johannes Ridu
11 September 2000
MIRI, Sun. _ A Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter used for heli-logging crashed in the deep jungles of Belaga in central Sarawak yesterday afternoon, injuring two New Zealander pilots.
The crash happened at Block 98 Bala timber camp within the remote Rimbunan Hijau logging concession area near Sungai Asap resettlement scheme in Belaga, some four hours by road from Bintulu town.
The injured were Captain Donald Smart, 45, and his co-pilot Richard Mills, 43. Both sustained fractured limbs and other injuries.
They were rescued from the wreckage by timber workers and flown to Bintulu Hospital in another helicopter which was despatched from Miri.
They arrived at the Bintulu Hospital about 6.30pm yesterday and were flown in the same helicopter to Kuching this morning for further treatment at the Normah Medical and Specialist Centre. They landed in Kuching about 11am and were immediately taken in two ambulances to the specialist centre.
Smart and Mills declined to speak to reporters.
The pilot was suspected to have lost control of the helicopter while attempting to lift logs from the logging camp.
The helicopter, which belonged to Sibu-based aviation company Heli-Aviation Sdn Bhd, did not explode but several parts including the rotor-blade and tail were damaged.
"The wreckage is still there," Bintulu police chief Superintendent Ismail Abdul Rahman said today.
An official at Heli-Aviation declined to comment on the incident.
A Department of Civil Aviation official in Kuching, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the department received the report on the crash about 2.25pm yesterday.
"We believe the accident happened between 1.30pm and 2pm," the official said.
It is understood that the DCA will send a team from Kuala Lumpur to Belaga tomorrow to investigate the cause of the crash.
The crash is the second such incident in Sarawak this year involving a Russian-made helicopter.
On March 20, a Russian-made Mi-26 helicopter crashed about 53 nautical miles off Kapit town, killing two crew members and injuring two others _ all Russians.
The helicopter, commissioned by Rimbunan Hijau, crashed while transporting logs extracted from the Lanjak logging area in Kapit division. The helicopter did not explode but broke into five parts.
Copter crash: Two hurt
By Johannes Ridu
11 September 2000
MIRI, Sun. _ A Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter used for heli-logging crashed in the deep jungles of Belaga in central Sarawak yesterday afternoon, injuring two New Zealander pilots.
The crash happened at Block 98 Bala timber camp within the remote Rimbunan Hijau logging concession area near Sungai Asap resettlement scheme in Belaga, some four hours by road from Bintulu town.
The injured were Captain Donald Smart, 45, and his co-pilot Richard Mills, 43. Both sustained fractured limbs and other injuries.
They were rescued from the wreckage by timber workers and flown to Bintulu Hospital in another helicopter which was despatched from Miri.
They arrived at the Bintulu Hospital about 6.30pm yesterday and were flown in the same helicopter to Kuching this morning for further treatment at the Normah Medical and Specialist Centre. They landed in Kuching about 11am and were immediately taken in two ambulances to the specialist centre.
Smart and Mills declined to speak to reporters.
The pilot was suspected to have lost control of the helicopter while attempting to lift logs from the logging camp.
The helicopter, which belonged to Sibu-based aviation company Heli-Aviation Sdn Bhd, did not explode but several parts including the rotor-blade and tail were damaged.
"The wreckage is still there," Bintulu police chief Superintendent Ismail Abdul Rahman said today.
An official at Heli-Aviation declined to comment on the incident.
A Department of Civil Aviation official in Kuching, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the department received the report on the crash about 2.25pm yesterday.
"We believe the accident happened between 1.30pm and 2pm," the official said.
It is understood that the DCA will send a team from Kuala Lumpur to Belaga tomorrow to investigate the cause of the crash.
The crash is the second such incident in Sarawak this year involving a Russian-made helicopter.
On March 20, a Russian-made Mi-26 helicopter crashed about 53 nautical miles off Kapit town, killing two crew members and injuring two others _ all Russians.
The helicopter, commissioned by Rimbunan Hijau, crashed while transporting logs extracted from the Lanjak logging area in Kapit division. The helicopter did not explode but broke into five parts.
