ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 196229
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 June 2017 |
| Time: | 11:00 appr |
| Type: |  Bell 204B |
| Owner/operator: | South West Helicopters |
| Registration: | VH-EQF |
| MSN: | 2020 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1965 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pureora Forest, King Country -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Taumarunui |
| Oruanui | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
The helicopter caught fire whilst being positioned for maintenance
The pilot was able to carry out a forced landing in a clear area and escaped unhurt. There was a post impact fire.
He was airlifted to Taumarunui hospital by rescue helicopter.
While enroute to a maintenance facility to troubleshoot avionics degradation, the pilot smelled something burning and turned off all unnecessary electrical items. Smoke and flames were observed through gaps in the instrument panel. The pilot identified a clearing approximately 1-2 miles from his position and turned to land. He shut down the engine and performed an autorotation to the clearing. Due to smoke in the cockpit, he was unable to see out of the front windscreen and made his approach and landing by looking through the chin bubble. After landing, he unsuccessfully attempted to suppress the fire with a handheld fire extinguisher. He secured his license and 'crash bag' and moved away from the helicopter, which was then engulfed in flames and destroyed. The pilot built a signal fire and used flares to signal a passing aircraft and was on site for approximately 3.5 hours before being located. There was insufficient evidence remaining to determine the source of the fire. The pilot had observed rodent excrement in the aircraft several days prior to the accident. The hypotheses established in the insurer's report are that the degradation of the avionics may have been due to rodent activity, and a nest in the heater duct located behind the dash may have acted as a source of ignition. The remains of the aircraft were recovered from the site, and the pilot did not sustain any injuries in the accident.
Sources:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93933435/crashed-helicopter-found-near-lake-taupo
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11880195
http://mrcaviation.blogspot.nl/2017/06/bell-204b-vh-eqf-updated.html
https://www.casa.gov.au/aircraft-register?search_api_views_fulltext=&vh=EQF&field_ar_serial=
https://www.caa.govt.nz/script/accident-details?Oc=17/3636
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jun-2017 07:12 | Geo | Added |
| 21-Jun-2017 12:03 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 24-Jun-2017 06:16 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Embed code] |
| 24-Jun-2017 06:17 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 26-Mar-2018 10:06 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-May-2018 02:57 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 14-Feb-2022 00:29 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 07-Aug-2023 08:49 | harro | Updated [[Location]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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