Incidents stretch Northland emergency services

Gyrocopters were invented almost a century ago. File photo / Dannevirke News

A fatal aircraft crash stretched the resources of Northland emergency helicopter resources today.

One man died when a gyrocopter crashed at Awanui, north of Kaitaia about 11am and another person was badly hurt.

However, within two minutes of the Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST) Sikorsky helicopter taking off from its Whangarei Base for Awanui, another emergency call came in after a man had a heart attack on a boat at the Poor Knights Islands, off the coast northwest of Whangarei.

Few details of either emergency were available but police said the name of the person who died in the gyrocopter crash would be released when his relatives had been told.

Both people were flown to Whangarei Hospital.

The NEST operates two Sikorsky S-76A helicopters. One was once owned by electronics entrepreneur Dick Smith who flew it around the world.

NEST chief executive John Bain said a third helicopter would be added to the fleet as back up and for pilot training.

"It is to cover us when maintenance is being done and part of its time will be training pilots."

He said the third machine would be fitted with the same gear as the other two machines.

"We have such high maintenance now because we are flying a considerable number of hours. We have a lot of time when we only have one machine available and if that has a breakdown we have got no backup, so we have been working with a lot of difficulty over the last 18 months keeping situations like today on track," Mr Bain said.

- NZPA