Chopper Crash Auckland Viaduct

[Guest Darren Masters]

Helicopter involved was ZK-HIG installing a Christmas tree. Watch the pilot get flung around. He did not have any helmet on either. This happened not long ago. Apparently he is ok.

 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10768105

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

Wow, look at it all in slow motion:

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6017775/Chopper-crashes-on-Auckland-waterfront

 

Absolute miracle nobody was hit by the blades or bits of the blades.

 

 

[bas]

One honourable mention in the Darwin Awards coming up - doing something so dangerous just to put up a bloody Christmas tree!

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

One honourable mention in the Darwin Awards coming up - doing something so dangerous just to put up a bloody Christmas tree!

I thought it was an expensive way to do it. I can't believe that nobody was seriously injured or killed. I honestly can't!

 

 

[Guest DWB]

Holy dooley he's one lucky dude, not to mention those around the scene. Glad to see he walked away.

 

 

[David Isaac]

Jees the slow motion version sure shows how the energy transfers into the frame. See how the whole cabin roof was flexing with the pilot hitting his head and how the boom instantly snapped off with the transferred energy. Flimsy little pieces of shit aren't they ...

 

 

[Guest Michael Coates]

i liked the way the pilot was hanging out the side of the door..... he wouldn't know on what was happening at that stage. What set the whole process off ? It just seemed to start shaking to some reason that I couldn't see that he actually hit anything ?

 

 

[David Isaac]

One blade hit something and then she toppled like a spinning top topples.

 

 

[bas]

Just as the vibration starts, you see a flag being pulled towards the chopper. I reckon the wire that flag is attached to is the one the chopper hit. (Otherwise it should have been blown away, the flag being lower than the rotor blades)

 

 

[dazza 38]

I guess he wont be getting a chrismas card from his insurance company this year.

 

 

[Spin]

Whoa! The energy tied up in that rotor system is horrifying - kind of puts into context the briefing I received before going in a military chopper the first time; "if we go down, wait until it has thrashed itself to death before leaving the cabin..."

 

 

[cficare]

did the worker walking along in front of the a/c cop a bit of schrapnel...seems to hobble after the prang...luck guy in antones view.

 

 

[HeadInTheClouds]

If you ever needed a reason to see why seatbelts are a great idea in all sorts of aircraft, especially helicopters, this is it. You can see how he almost falls out onto the blades destroying themselves but the seatbelt drags him back inside and keeps him safe... The seatbelt is probably one of the main reasons he survived this accident

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

Yes I thought the same when I watched the slow motion footage. The energy transfer to the cabin is full-on. The whole thing buckles. Watching him get flung around like a rag doll, scary. I don't think he had that belt done up real tight. Had things got worse a helmet would have been a blessing (don't know why he did not have one on). Anyway, it is confirmed he hit a wire. I think it was on the tail rotor then everything went pear-shaped. That helicopter lives/lived down the road from me so I'm going to get some pics of it all smashed up when they bring it back. More here today:

 

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/pilot-s-wife-thrilled-he-survived-helicopter-crash-4564078

 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/6021705/Helicopter-pilot-yet-to-see-crash-footage

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

Crash a helicopter in Auckland and you have this outside your hangar:

 

 

That's only a portion of the 'circus' that is outside there right now.

 

 

[siznaudin]

And it didn't catch fire...!