Survivor of helicopter crash recovering in hospital

The survivor of a South Island helicopter crash that killed his close friend was yesterday undergoing surgery in Nelson hospital.

The condition of Murchison 27-year-old Hamish Teddy was listed as stable after operations on his seriously injured legs and hands.

He had been with farmer Phillip Devon Heney, 52, when their small two-seater Robinson R22 helicopter crashed while attempting to land on a farm helicopter pad about 5pm on Friday.

Mr Heney's family were watching as the landing went awry. The crash occurred only about 20m from State Highway 65 in the Shenandoah area, 23km south-west of Murchison.

Mr Teddy sustained fractures to both legs and was bleeding heavily.

The helicopter did not catch fire but was doused with foam because of leaking fuel.

Passing motorists alerted emergency services, who arrived at the crash scene within minutes.

Murchison Constable Jevon McSkimming said the experience had obviously been traumatic for Mr Heney's family but they had responded well and had assisted emergency services at the scene, helping move Mr Teddy to safety.

Members of Mr Teddy's family were understood to have visited the Heneys yesterday to offer their condolences.

Civil Aviation Authority inspectors visited the site yesterday and took the badly damaged wreckage to a South Island maintenance facility for detailed inspection, including analysis of the rotors, engine and transmission.

CAA spokesman Bill Sommer said no comment could yet be made on the cause of the crash.

Last week, another Robinson R22 helicopter hit the side of a hill while carrying out pine tree control operations near Molesworth Station. No injuries were reported.

The Robinson R22 has been involved in at least 30 accidents since 2000, including several fatal crashes, but Mr Sommer said there was nothing inherently wrong with the model.

"They are a good quality little helicopter but you have to think about what they were designed to do," he said.

The Robinson R22 was safe when used for transporting people or for training purposes, he said.

But New Zealanders sometimes used the helicopter for heavy agricultural work or deer recovery, purposes for which it was not designed.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY