A missing part may have caused a helicopter engine to lose power, forcing its pilot to make an emergency landing in Lake Rotorua, a report says.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission yesterday released its report into the Volcanic Air Safaris helicopter ditching into the lake on February 24, 2013.
On that day a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter operated by Volcanic Air Safaris departed on its second scenic flight for the day, with the pilot and three passengers, a father and two children, on board.
About 15 to 20 seconds into the flight, at 400 to 500 feet (122-152m) above the lake, a strong fuel smell was noticed by the passengers in the back seats and a warning horn sounded, the report said.
The pilot turned the helicopter towards the shoreline, where she carried out a successful ditching near the lake edge in waist-deep water. All on board escaped uninjured.