KEY POINTS:
US National Transportation Safety Board investigators are still combing the ashes of the helicopter crash which killed a New Zealand father and son and an American in Utah at the weekend.
The Hughes 500D helicopter crashed into desert country killing the Kiwi pilot James Innes 59, and his son, Andrew Innes, 30, and American George McDaniel, 40, of Idaho Falls.
The Innes family were past owners of Haldon Station in the South Island's MacKenzie Basin and it is understood Mr Innes and his son had lived in the US for at least 10 years.
Mr Innes lost another son Dan in a chopper crash in Mexico in 1998 and his brother David in an air crash at Gore.
His sister Annabel told TVNZ tonight that James lived for his flying although he had a few "close shaves".
The latest crash happened after the three men took off from Utah's Carbon County Airport on Saturday bound for Salt Lake City after a fishing trip.
According to any eyewitness the helicopter crashed less than 1km away, bursting into flames.
Only a tail rotor and part of the main rotor blades were recognisable after the fire.
The surviving daughter and stepson of James Innes told an American TV channel that Mr Innes was a pioneer in shooting and capture of feral deer from a helicopter in New Zealand in the 1980s.
He helped develop the technique firing a net out of a special gun to humanely capture deer sought for venison farming before taking his skills to the United States.
The family said that James had predicted he would probably die in a helicopter.
Andrew Innes owned a record company and was a disc jockey who had recently married and moved to Park City, to be close to his father's home in Salt Lake City.
Charles Ward, a close friend, said James Innes, was one of the best pilots he'd ever known, and flew for Pathfinder Helicopter Inc, a business that caught wild animals.
"Deer, elk, moose; you name it," said Mr Ward.
"He caught all the wolves for Yellowstone (National Park); transplanted them from Alaska down to Yellowstone.
"He loved the outdoors more then anyone I'd ever known, and he loved to fly helicopters, and he was good at it too," Mr Ward said.
Jeremy Johnson, who piloted a second helicopter carrying the fishing party, said: "James was probably the best helicopter pilot that I ever flew with. He was very, very experienced, had over 10,000 hours."
Mr Johnson said when they stopped to refuel Mr Innes took some of the heavy supplies from Johnson's helicopter, along with son Andrew and a friend, George McDaniel of Idaho.
Mr Johnson said there could have been too much weight for the windy conditions.
"I feel horrible because I think if I would have taken them and the extra weight, they would all be home with their families right now," he said
But another helicopter pilot who knew the New Zealanders, Ben Tidswell, said the Hughes 500D was capable of carrying five passengers with the better part of a full tank of gas.
"There were only three people on board. I would find it highly unlikely that weight would be a cause and a problem down there," he said.
- NZPA
