Three months after six passengers and a pilot were injured in a crash at Tyndall Glacier, another of The Helicopter Line’s Squirrels rolled near Mt Cook.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (Taic) released its report into the first incident, in October 2013, yesterday.
In the report, it also referred to the "other occurrence", on January 9, 2014. In that incident, another of THL’s Squirrels was about to land on the Richardson Glacier, when the skid contacted the snow, causing the helicopter to roll on to its side.
The machine was destroyed but the pilot and four passengers were not injured.
At the time there was unlimited visibility, negligible cloud and no wind. However, snow had fallen the previous day, contributing to bright conditions.
The pilot’s report stated that as he was about to land, the surface became less visible due to bright light and snow blowing ahead.
"The pilot had lost sight of his reference points, so he commenced a go-around.
"As he did so, the landing skids contacted the snow, causing the machine to roll over abruptly."
The commission was notified of the accident but decided not to open a separate inquiry. Totally Tourism Ltd managing director Mark Quickfall said the pilot was no longer employed by the company, but that had "no relationship" to the incident.
