Allowing two American hunting clients to disembark from a helicopter high in mountainous terrain near Wanaka was the ‘‘biggest hazard'' leading to the death of one of them, an inquest in Queenstown has heard.
Clifford Wayne Senter (57), of the United States, died after falling 184m down a bluff during an alpine hunting expedition in the upper Albertburn catchment about 2pm on May 22, 2006.
He and friend Nelson Rapanot (45), from Hawaii, had been flown by helicopter into the area by Harvey Hutton of Back Country Helicopters, accompanied by guide Rachel Stewart (26), of Leithen Valley Trophy Hunts New Zealand.
The helicopter landed one skid on a sloping patch of ground above a steep bluff, to allow the party to disembark.
Mr Senter - who weighed 111kg, suffered arthritis in his knees, hands and shoulders, and had inappropriate soft-soled shoes on at the time of the accident - slipped moments after touching the ground, slid down the bank and over the edge of the bluff to his death.
Yesterday, during the second day of the inquest into his death, a distressed Miss Stewart (26) said she took her eye off Mr Senter moments after safely unloading him from the helicopter.
As the expedition's sole guide, she had been the first person out of the helicopter and had tested the stability of the snow and grass site, before helping Mr Senter out of the helicopter and on to the ground.
She said Mr Senter had slipped and slid down the slope while she turned her back to assist Mr Rapanot. She and Mr Rapanot were unable to reach him before he fell.
‘‘In hindsight, the biggest hazard was letting two people out. I took my eye off Cliff [Senter] after he was grounded, to unload Nelson [Rapanot], and that's where it all went wrong,'' she said.
Coroner Alan Macalister had earlier heard it was normal practice for only one guide and one client to disembark during similar helicopter hunting trips, for safety reasons. Guides were expected to keep visual and, where possible, physical contact with their client until the helicopter departed.
However, Miss Stewart said Mr Rapanot had been particularly ‘‘demanding'' about leaving the helicopter too, as he was acting as Mr Senter's minder and helping him physically during the hunt.
She was concerned about both men getting out and had discussed her concerns with them directly during a pre-flight safety briefing, and with her father, Alan Stewart, a guide and owner of Leithen Valley Trophy Hunts New Zealand, she said.
The discussion resumed during the flight, just prior to landing on the ledge, but she and Mr Hutton - flying the helicopter - decided the landing site could accommodate three people, she said.
Yesterday, guiding and hunting authority Roger Duxfield, a life member of the New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association, agreed Miss Stewart had erred in allowing Mr Rapanot to disembark as well.
Responding to questions from Senter family lawyer Dr Jonathan Coates, Mr Duxfield said Miss Stewart ‘‘probably was not forceful enough'' in dealing with the two older men.
‘‘As a guide, your clients' life is in your hands and you have the right to stipulate certain safety standards,'' he said.
Responding to questions by Senior Constable Chris Blackford, Miss Stewart denied she had lost control of the expedition but said: ‘‘If I was to go back in time I would not let Nelson [Rapanot] out.''
Pilot Harvey Hutton, also testifying yesterday, said the responsibility for choosing the sloping site was his, but it was the guide's responsibility to ensure clients unloaded safely.
He defended his decision not to land near Mr Senter's body and check for signs of life following the fall, saying it was apparent from Mr Senter's ‘‘substantial' head injury he was dead.
Mr Hutton had taken off moments after Mr Senter had slid away, leaving Mr Rapanot and Miss Stewart on the ground and flew down to within 6m to 8m of Mr Senter's lifeless body.
‘‘The injuries I saw on the hunter were not survivable,'' he said. He returned to collect the surviving pair before flying to Wanaka, where a search and rescue operation was launched and the body recovered the following day.
The hearing is expected to conclude tomorrow.
