Christchurch BK troubles
 

A rescue helicopter carrying an intensive care patient has made an emergency landing in a Canterbury paddock.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was transferring a patient from Ashburton Hospital to Christchurch Hospital when an indication warning light turned on this morning.

There were five people on board, including the pilot, a paramedic, a doctor, a flight nurse and the unfortunate patient.

Garden City Helicopters general manager Simon Duncan said the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in a paddock near Springston.

He said it was a "heavy landing", but all five onboard were uninjured.

Duncan said the pilot was trained to handle the situation, and had done just that.

The flight nurse had suffered a neck spasm, but had been given an all clear by a doctor.

The BK117 twin-engine helicopter had minor damage to its skids, and would be transferred to Christchurch this afternoon for engineers to examine.

Duncan said the paramedic had radioed St John emergency services for help when the warning light had come on. An ambulance met them shortly after the landing to take the patient to the hospital.

The patient is in a stable condition in Christchurch Hospital.

Duncan said in his 13 years with the company it was the first emergency landing he could recall.

He has reported the incident to the Civil Aviation Authority, and will head to the landing site this afternoon.

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- © Fairfax NZ News

Good to hear all were fine. Just one question, is this what we call in the UK, an air ambulance operation, or a genuine rescue operation such as SAR?

In NZ the EMS/ SAR is done by the civilian sector Rescue Trusts, so on one job you may be doing a hospital transfer or a roadside accident then the next maybe an offshore winch job off a ship or a beacon search in the mountains. Has been like this from the start our NZ military helicopter asset is very small and do get involved with Land SAR work but mainly up in the North Island close to where they are based.

Why does a warning light lead directly to a 'heavy landing'?

Good question ...anyone got any answers

Girv, thanks for the answer, very capable operation, seems the way UK SAR could be in a few years.

... a double ''ENG OUT'', or a ''LOW ROTOR'' light?

Warning Lights.....
 

Lets see - the main "warning light" that would result in a heavy landing in a paddock would probably be the "low fuel " followed by lots of lights - such as Eng Press, Gen, etc .........