American hunter Cliff Senter, who died after falling 184m down a cliff, was ‘‘seriously let down'' by major errors during a helicopter hunting expedition near Wanaka, an inquest in Queenstown has heard.
Among ‘‘major'' mistakes was the failure by expedition guide Rachel Stewart to spot the cliff below the party's chosen landing site as it approached from the air, Senter family lawyer Dr Jonathan Coates, of Wellington, suggested yesterday.
Miss Stewart (26), who worked for Leithen Valley Trophy Hunts New Zealand - owned by her father, Alan - had earlier admitted not seeing the cliff, saying she was searching for potential hazards on and above the landing site instead.
The landing site was a small flat ledge - just big enough for three people - high in the upper Albertburn catchment, with a steep slope below leading down to the cliff.
‘‘We now know, of course, beyond any doubt, that it [the cliff] presented a hugely significant hazard because it's where Mr Senter fell to his death,'' Dr Coates said.
Helicopter pilot Harvey Hutton, of Back Country Helicopters, landed one skid on the ledge to allow the party of three - Miss Stewart, Mr Senter (57) and his friend Nelson Rapanot (45), of Hawaii - to disembark to shoot at a mountain chamois.
Mr Senter - who weighed 111kg, had arthritis in his knees, hands and shoulders and was wearing inappropriate soft-soled boots - lost his footing on wet, slushy snow and grass, slid down the slope and disappeared over the edge of the cliff.
He died after receiving ‘‘substantial'' head injuries in the fall, which occurred about 2pm on May 22, 2006. His body was recovered the following day.
Yesterday, Dr Coates suggested failings included allowing two hunting clients - rather than one - to disembark, and allowing the trip to go ahead despite Mr Senter's inadequate footwear.
Miss Stewart had turned her back on Mr Senter after unloading him to help Mr Rapanot from the helicopter - despite industry guidelines requiring constant visual and, where possible, physical contact between guides and clients.
It was also suggested yesterday Miss Stewart may have been wearing a hat at the time of the accident - against helicopter safety guidelines - which had blown off as she helped Mr Rapanot disembark.
Miss Stewart, in a video re-enactment of the unloading procedure played to coroner Alan Macalister yesterday, admitted she had lost her hat while on the ledge, but could not say when. It was possible Mr Senter had slipped while reaching for the hat, but that could not be confirmed.
Experienced professional mountain guide Geoffrey Wayatt of Wanaka, who was involved in an aborted operation to recover Mr Senter's body on the day of the accident, agreed there had been failings.
He criticised the choice of landing site, describing it as a ‘‘technical, high risk location'' suitable only for fit and agile hunters. It allowed ‘‘no margin for error'' and meant the guide's task, to safely unloading clients on to the ground, would have been ‘‘an onerous one''.
‘‘A trip or stumble would likely result in a fall from the ledge,' he said. ‘‘I seriously consider the use of the landing site, as shown to have been inappropriate for the party . . . The choice of the site, especially in winter conditions, calls into question the decision-making process for this type of venture.''
Dr Coates, questioning Mr Wayatt, suggested the decision not to either cancel the hunt or fly to an easier location that suited the party was a ‘‘major oversight''.
He described the failures as ‘‘seriously unacceptable'' and said: ‘‘Do you agree with that?''
Mr Wayatt replied: ‘‘Yes.''
Mr Hutton, speaking on Tuesday, said it was his responsibil ity, as pilot, to choose a suitable landing site, but the guide's to ensure hunters disembarked safely. He had sighted the cliff but considered it too obvious to mention to Miss Stewart.
Mr Hutton was also forced to defend himself on Tuesday, following claims from Mr Rapanot - speaking via video link from Hawaii on Monday - he had been piloting the helicopter ‘‘like a maniac'' before the accident.
Mr Hutton said he had accumulated 14,500 hours of flight time over 25 years, during commercial animal recovery work and Search and Rescue operations, and it was the first criticism of his flying ability he had heard.
New Zealand Professional Hunting Guides Association executive and life member Roger Duxfield defended the choice of landing site yesterday.
‘‘I think the site was fine. It's just the management of the site after unloading that has had a terrible outcome,'' he said.
He also said there were concerns about the impact Mr Senter's death could have on the fledgling helicopter hunting industry, and his association was exploring the idea of a new agency - possibly within the Department of Conservation - to oversee regulation of the game hunting industry.
At present, the industry did not fit neatly into one agency's area of responsibility and membership of his association was voluntary.
‘‘It's not acceptable and I fee that needs to change,'' he said.
Mr Macalister adjourned the inquest following yesterday's evidence, with a date to be announced for two final witnesses to testify.
