Date:	Tuesday 7 July 1992
Time:
Type:	Aérospatiale AS350B Ecureuil
Owner/operator:	Hele-Tranz
Registration:	ZK-HST
MSN:	1625
Year of manufacture:	1982
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	near Poolburn, Central Otago -   New Zealand
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Survey
Departure airport:	Otago, NZ
Destination airport:
Investigating agency:	TAIC
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
The helicopter was engaged in an aerial survey of Central Electric's distribution system. The pilot and technician conducting the survey, which utilised GPS equipment to pinpoint individual power pole positions, were accompanied by a line surveyor from the local electrical supply authority who acted as a guide and supplementary lookout. During the course of mapping a roadside 11kV line, the helicopter collided with the Roxburgh-Islington A 220kV line. The reactive forces of the rotor strike tore the transmission and engine from the airframe. The fuselage section of the helicopter came to rest inverted. The surveyor died in the impact sequence. The pilot and technician received serious injuries.

("Thumbnail" history: First registered in NZ as ZK-HST 8.12.82; crashed 7.7.92 as above. Registration cancelled as "written off" 23.2.93. However, rebuilt and re-registered as F-WQDG 30.8.97. French registration cancelled as "sold to Nepal", but instead registered in Australia as VH-FEK 2.12.97. Finally to Nepal 22.3.2000)

1. Aviation News
2. http://www.taic.org.nz/ReportsandSafetyRecs/AviationReports/tabid/78/ctl/Detail/mid/482/InvNumber/1992-013/Page/27/language/en-US/Default.aspx?SkinSrc=[G]skins%2ftaicAviation%2fskin_aviation
3. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=42878
4. http://www.caa.govt.nz/script/Aircraft_Hist_new.asp?Aircraft_ID=7431
5. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://coptercrazy.brinkster.net/search/se350show.asp?start=601&count=50]

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


12 May 2002

9N-AGE

Karnali Air

0

Makalu Base Camp

sub

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
19-Dec-2008 12:08	harro	Added
01-Jul-2014 22:21	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ]
17-Aug-2014 15:30	Aerossurance	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative, ]