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Investigators into Friday’s fatal helicopter crash that landed on a tree and hit a car near Bankstown Airport have called on the public to provide any video footage they may have of the accident.
Announcing a formal investigation, the chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Angus Mitchell, said the trigger for the crash of the Robinson R22 helicopter that killed the pilot and injured a student appeared to have happened at high altitude.
Footage obtained by Nine News of the helicopter coming down.
“It seems whatever has gone wrong has gone wrong at very high altitude, prior to coming down in the vicinity of … wires or trees.”
The instructor from Bankstown Helicopters’ pilot school and the 19-year-old student pilot were believed to have been doing circuit training – generally done at 800 to 1000 feet – when the crash occurred, Mitchell said.
A spokesperson for Liverpool Hospital said on Saturday that the student pilot was now in a stable condition.
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But investigators don’t know how long they had been in the air. The names of the victims have yet to be released by NSW Police.
“I wouldn’t like to speculate as to what has gone wrong,” Mitchell said.
The helicopter departed “controlled flight and collided heavily with terrain, destroying the aircraft and tragically killing the instructor and seriously injuring the student pilot”.
“I do take this opportunity to ask anyone with video footage of the helicopter at any phase of its flight yesterday to contact the ATSB via our website. ”
The national transport safety investigator has deployed a team of investigators from its Canberra office specialising in operations, engineering and maintenance. They will be examining the wreckage and recovering parts of the helicopter for examination.
Mitchell said the Robinson R22 was a popular brand of helicopter and was used for flight training and a wide range of commercial flights from tourism to mustering. Bankstown Helicopters website says it offers pilot training, joy and charter flights.
Mitchel said his heart went out to all those involved.
“Every time we investigate a fatality or a serious injury across aviation, the flow-on effects are enormous, not just those that were on board and immediate family, but the broader aviation industry. And we know that there are a lot of people will be mourning today over the tragic loss of life yesterday, and thoughts out to the student pilot who’s currently receiving treatment.”
You can contact the ATSB here.
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