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Helicopter wreckage recovered
Media statement
Picture: The main fuselage being airlifted out of a steep gully under the Sugarloaf. Picture supplied by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has recovered the wreckage of the Squirrel helicopter that crashed on Tuesday during fire-fighting operations on the hills behind Christchurch.
The pilot died in the accident.
Commission investigator Steve Walker said the recovery operation this afternoon was challenging. “The wreckage was in a steep gully under the Sugarloaf and conditions were hot and windy, making it challenging for the ground crew loading the wreckage, and the investigators. ”
The wreckage was lifted out in five loads and placed on a truck for transport to a secure site in Christchurch from where it will be transported to the Commission’s technical facility in Wellington for further analysis.
The Commission had planned to begin the air lift this morning but had to wait for clearance to use the road which had been closed because of the threat from the bush fire.
Picture: The main fuselage being airlifted out of a steep gully under the Sugarloaf. Picture supplied by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.
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