Helicopter pilot Rick Lucas hits back at crash investigators

A helicopter pilot who crashed his aircraft into an inlet in Porirua last year has hit back at a report into the accident, and labelled it a "witch-hunt".

Rick Lucas was contracted to carry a utility pole across the Pauatahanui inlet with his BK117 helicopter in May 2017 when he crashed into the water.

He told investigators he felt the airframe begin to vibrate, then the Helipro craft suddenly rotated to the right with pitch oscillations.

It began to spin before plunging into the shallow water. Lucas was able to get out with only minor injuries.

Rick Lucas stands on his helicopter after crashing it into the inlet. Photo / Anish Nandha

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) this week released an interim report into the crash, raising concerns about "maintenance anomalies" in the company's other helicopters.

"The Commission is concerned that other aircraft previously operated by Helipro could have historical maintenance issues that could compromise aviation safety," the report said.

Investigators identified maintenance anomalies in the records for three other choppers operated by Helipro.

"The number and nature of the maintenance anomalies involving the accident helicopter and the three other helicopters create a serious safety issue."

The anomalies include issues such as no mention in maintenance records of particular chopper parts being replaced, and the absence of records of conformity inspections or approved releases being carried out by an authorised person after various modifications and component swaps.

"Given that Helipro was operating or maintaining a large number of other aircraft at the time, the Commission is concerned that there could be historical or latent maintenance issues with some of those aircraft as well. These aircraft have been on-sold and are currently being operated on the New Zealand register by various other companies."

Due to this concern, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a Continuing Airworthiness Notice to tell owners and operators of possible significant anomalies.

The report also found the utility pole the helicopter was carrying at the time, which Lucas estimated to be about 800kg, was actually 959kg.

The crashed helicopter lies on its side in the Pauatahanui inlet, near Porirua. Photo / Marty Melville

The Commission will continue to investigate the crash.

Lucas said the report appeared to have jumped to early conclusions without considering all the information, and had maligned the reputations of aircraft engineers.

"The TAIC investigation appears to continue to focus on irrelevancies and fails in its bid to find the root cause of this accident," he said in a statement.

"The continued attack on the engineering staff at Helipro is unfounded and unwarranted."

The helicopter was not operated by Helipro, but was assembled and presented for its Certificate of Airworthiness by Helipro Aviation Support Ltd, he said.

Before that, it was operated for two years by Precision Helicopters, he said.

Comments from Precision Helicopters' CEO Matt Newton, who witnessed the accident, appeared to be "largely discounted in favour of the apparent witch-hunt" on Helipro's engineering staff.

"TAIC are not in receipt of the appropriate records that will answer their queries which in all cases refer to actions prior to the issue of the Certificate of Airworthiness which records that in all ways the aircraft met the requirements of the manufacturers type certificate and in all ways is safe and fit for flight operations in New Zealand and complies in all ways with the NZCAA rules."

BK117 Helicopters have an international history of tail boom and pylon cracking and failures, he said.

"My very real fear is that this could happen again to someone else."