[Peetwo]

Update: Via the Oz

Pilot felt thud then lost control
12:00amMichael McKenna
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed off Queensland saw a warning light come on and felt a thud before losing control.

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Helicopter pilot felt thud then lost control in fatal crash

The pilot of a tourist helicopter that last month crashed off north Queensland, killing two American retirees, saw a warning light come on and then felt a thud before losing control.

In its preliminary report, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said yesterday it was yet to determine the cause of the March 21 crash of the five-seater helicopter as it returned from a flight over reefs on the Whitsundays.

Hawaiian tourists Peter Hensel, 79, and his wife, Sue, 65, were both killed. Mrs Hensel’s daughter and son-in-law, Emily and Bobby Sheets, escaped from the crash with minor injuries.

The pilot was unharmed.

According to the report, the pilot of the five-seater Euro­copter EC120B — operated by Whitsunday Air Services — reported seeing a warning light come on the “upper vehicle and engine malfunction display’’ as he approached a helicopter pontoon at Hardy Reef.

“As this was a high workload phase of flight, the pilot was unable to verify the nature of the warning,’’ the report said. “However, in response, the pilot elected to conduct a go-around. When the helicopter was at an altitude of about 40ft (12m) above the pontoon, the pilot recalled feeling a ‘thud’ and the nose of the helicopter yawed sharply left (anticlockwise from above).

“In an attempt to arrest the yaw, the pilot reported that he made a number of control inputs.

“The pilot was unable to regain control of the helicopter and it collided with the water.’’

The pilot and two other passengers were able to get out.

The report said the pilot and a passenger then pulled the couple from the wreckage.

Staff from a nearby pontoon administered CPR until emergency services arrived but they could not be saved. The Hensels had been on their dream honeymoon after getting married in December.

Queensland police have since located the wreckage.

Hardy Reef, about 40km northeast of Hayman Island, is a popular ­diving and snorkelling site with a large pontoon used by daily dive boats and two smaller pontoons offering a landing platform for helicopters that offer scenic flights over the Whitsundays and surrounding reef.

Investigators will now seek advice on whether the wreck should be brought to the surface.

 
Hmm...wonder if the HVH will go with cap in hand to the invisible miniscule for extra resources/funds to recover this submerged wreck?


MTF...P2