'Deep regret' over fatal chopper crash

Mark Quickfall.
Mark Quickfall
A helicopter company has expressed "deep regret" for a crash on Mount Alta, near Wanaka, that killed Aucklander Jerome Box.

The 52-year-old construction company director died and six others were seriously injured on August 16, 2014, when a Squirrel chopper split in two and somersaulted 700m down the mountain after attempting a landing during a heli-skiing flight.

The Helicopter Line (THL) pleaded guilty in November to two charges brought by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

At  sentencing in the Queenstown District Court on Thursday the company was convicted and fined $47,600.

THL chief executive Mark Quickfall said the company  regretted the impact of the crash on the injured, as well as Mr Box’s wife, Adelle,  and their two children.

"Three and a-half years is a long time ...  it’s been a tough, tough time for those people, and we recognise that.

"We deeply regret what happened that day. We took that group of guys out for a great day’s heli-skiing, and in that regard we failed."

The company was sentenced by Chief District Court Judge Jan-Marie Doogue on two charges: failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of its employee, and failing to take all practicable steps to ensure no action or inaction of any employee while at work harmed any other person.

It accepted it had breached the Act by failing to take a series of steps to ensure the aircraft was flown within weight and balance limitations.

The pilot, Dave Matthews, a THL employee, failed to add an extra 4kg to the declared weight of each passenger, which meant the aircraft was 27.6kg heavier than calculated.

However, the CAA accepted that THL’s failings did not cause the crash.

The company made voluntary reparation payments totalling $365,000 to the victims: $165,000 to Mr Box’s wife and family, and $50,000 to each of the other victims.

Lake Hawea resident Mark Sedon, the skiing guide on the flight, suffered a badly broken back in the crash.

Mr Sedon told the ODT he was glad the legal process had ended, but was saddened by the fact Mr Box’s family had been "in limbo" for so long.

"It seemed to take a ridiculous length of time to get to this stage."

Although still affected by his injuries, it was "hard to complain when someone died."

A Transport Accident Investigation Commission (Taic) report into the crash, released in December, found the helicopter was about 30kg over the maximum allowed weight, and its centre of gravity 3cm forward of what was allowed.

It also concluded the crash, and other accidents, suggested a culture among some New Zealand helicopter pilots of operating their aircraft beyond their performance limits.

Mr Quickfall said THL had taken "definitive action" in response to the Taic report’s recommendations, including changes to its pilots’ training.

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