An ATSB report has revealed how the pilot of a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger involved in a fatal crash caused by flying in bad weather initially landed – before taking off again.
The incident killed one man – who has yet to be publicly identified – and saw the five-seat Bell 206 roll before descending and crashing into a riverbank near Maitland.
An ATSB preliminary report revealed the bird’s carcass was located near the main wreckage site, while investigators found no underlying defects with the aircraft’s engine, structure or flight controls.
The promotion of Cam Fewtrell and Dominic Hodalin from rescue crew officers (RCO) to the more senior position of air crew officers (ACO) is highly unusual, with most operators recruiting the role direct from the military.
A helicopter that crashed with two people onboard in Kosciuszko National Park in April descended quickly while navigating terrain amid poor weather conditions, the ATSB has found.
The two unnamed clients picked up the helicopters from the manufacturer’s facility in Mirabel, Canada, with the first delivered in May and the second in June.