Investigators to visit landing site

The wreckage of a helicopter that tipped over while landing on Mt Sale, on the Crown Range, on Monday. Photo from NZ Police.
The wreckage of a helicopter that tipped over while landing on Mt Sale, on the Crown Range, on Monday. Photo from NZ Police.
Air accident investigators will today visit the site on the Crown Range where a helicopter rolled over while landing on Monday afternoon.

Three Chinese and two Australian tourists were on board the Eurocopter Squirrel AS350 B2 when it tipped over while landing on Mt Sale — on a flat area covered with tussock and snow — about 7km from Arrowtown.

An Australian man suffered a moderate leg injury in the incident, which occurred during a sightseeing and snow landing flight operated by The Helicopter Line (THL) from Queenstown Airport. 

Three Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) staff, including two investigators, arrived in the resort yesterday.

TAIC air investigator Steve Walker said they had yet to speak to the pilot or injured passenger, but had received ‘‘really useful’’ information from their interviews with the other four passengers.

The pilot and injured passenger would be spoken to ‘‘in due course’’.

The Queenstown-based phase of the investigation, which would also involve gathering documentary information from THL, would be wrapped up this week.

Mr Walker said it was fortunate the incident did not cause serious injury.

‘‘It’s very good to be able to see passengers walk away from an accident.

‘‘At this stage we’re not able to tell how serious the impact was, but that’s one of the things we’ll be looking at.’’

TAIC was aware of the spate of aircraft incidents in the district in the past few years, and its investigations were important so it could ‘‘put in place recommendations which can prevent further accidents’’.

St John Central Otago-Southland Lakes territory manager Kelvin Perriman said paramedics assessed the passengers and pilot at THL’s base on Monday before transferring the passengers to Lakes District Hospital for further checks.

Jeff Staniland, chief executive of THL owner Skyline Enterprises, said the injured passenger was treated in hospital and underwent a leg X-ray before being discharged.

The pilot had been stood down from flying duties, and the company would ‘‘not pre-judge’’ how long he would be grounded.

‘‘We need to talk to him and see how he feels — we don’t want to put pressure on him,’’ Mr Staniland said. ‘‘He’s going to be interviewed [by TAIC] and needs to focus on that.’’

The pilot had been flying for the company for more than two years.

The company would also conduct its own investigation into the accident, something which was ‘‘standard procedure’’.

It was keeping in touch with the passengers and offering any support they required, he said.

Auckland man Jerome Box (52) died and seven people were injured in 2014 when a Squirrel helicopter operated by another Skyline subsidiary, Harris Mountains Heliski, crashed while attempting a snow landing on Mt Alta, near Lake Wanaka.

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