Pilot simulated engine failure before crash - CAA

The wreckage of the helicopter. Photo / Supplied

A trainee pilot killed when his helicopter crashed in Bluff Harbour had been practising simulated engine failure before the accident, Civil Aviation Authority investigators say.

Allan Munro, 67, and instructor Jason Wright, 29, were killed when the Robinson R22 helicopter crashed near Colyers Island on Thursday.Their bodies were recovered along with the submerged but intact helicopter after a 22 hour search about midday Friday.

CAA investigators were dismantling the wreckage in a shed near Invercargill to look for clues as to why it crashed.

Witnesses had seen the helicopter practising auto-rotation, which simulates engine failure, in the half-hour before the crash, the Southland Times reported

CAA investigator Tom McCready said the manoeuvre involved flying upwards, closing off the throttle and descending without switching off the engine.

There was nothing unusual in the manoeuvre and all trainee pilots had to practise it, Mr McCready said.

Investigators have called for sightings of the helicopter north of Bluff, or any video footage of the harbour, between 12.45pm and 1.12pm Thursday.

It was not yet known why its emergency locator beacon did no go off, but that would not have affected the men's chances of survival, given the severity of the crash impact, Mr McCready said.

The investigation could take up to two years to complete.

The helicopter was owned by Mr Munro, a farmer, who was just one week away from getting his full flying licence.

- NZPA