ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46408
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| Date: | Sunday 16 May 2004 |
| Time: | 06:20 |
| Type: |  Hughes 269C |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | ZK-HDL |
| MSN: | 80-0953 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Rangiuru, Bay of Plenty 2 -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA NZ |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The private helicopter with two persons onboard left its home base at dawn to carry out a photographic flight. After a few minutes of flying it crashed on farmland and caught fire.The helicopter was in cruise flight at 500 ft agl when an engine connecting rod failed (possibly, say investigators, as a result of an unrecorded engine overspeed). The subsequent autorotation in low light conditions and hard landing on rough terrain, ruptured the fuel tank, resulting in a fire and destruction of the helicopter. The pilot survived with serious injuries and the passenger, a professional photographer, was killed.
NZCAA comment: It could not be established if the professional photographer was aware of the flight’s private nature. The pilot and photographer did not know each other and the flight had only been arranged the day before. Informal discussions with various police officers, media personnel and photographers since this accident reveal that few seem to be aware of the difference between private and commercial operations or the safety benefits offered by choosing various helicopter types or stipulating pilot experience levels when hiring helicopters. CAA produce a booklet available on the website and as a hard copy titled “How to Charter an Aircraft” which details the certification requirements
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
http://www.caa.govt.nz/Accidents_and_Incidents/Accident_Reports/ZK-HDL_Fatal_16_May_04.pdf
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Nov-2008 10:35 | ASN archive | Added |
| 16-Aug-2014 12:47 | Aerossurance | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 31-May-2018 00:15 | Ron Averes | Updated [Cn, Location] |
| 07-Oct-2021 00:08 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 14-Feb-2022 01:09 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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