Crop dusting chopper crashes into cane field
Air safety investigators will probe the cause of a helicopter crash near Townsville in north Queensland.
A Robinson R66 went down in a cane field near Horseshoe Lagoon late yesterday.
Firefighter Greg Vincett says the chopper was written-off but the young pilot escaped virtually unharmed.
"We just looked after the pilot until QAS [the Queensland Ambulance Service] arrived and we handed it over to them," he said.
"He was a bit bruised and had a bit of chemical on him but like I said, the QAS got that under control and stabilised him and he got the helicopter, the emergency helicopter, down to take him to Townsville.
"The helicopter was spraying chemicals on a crop and he was doing his last run and he clipped powerlines which brought the powerlines down and the helicopter which crashed into a cane field.
"It [the crash] did a substantial amount of damage, it pulled the spray rakes off the helicopter and the helicopter ended up on its side - it is a definite write-off yes."
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says it is investigating the incident.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-21/crop-dusting-chopper-crashes-into-cane-field/5685798
Crop dusting chopper crashes into cane field
Air safety investigators will probe the cause of a helicopter crash near Townsville in north Queensland.
A Robinson R66 went down in a cane field near Horseshoe Lagoon late yesterday.
Firefighter Greg Vincett says the chopper was written-off but the young pilot escaped virtually unharmed.
“We just looked after the pilot until QAS [the Queensland Ambulance Service] arrived and we handed it over to them,” he said.
“He was a bit bruised and had a bit of chemical on him but like I said, the QAS got that under control and stabilised him and he got the helicopter, the emergency helicopter, down to take him to Townsville.
“The helicopter was spraying chemicals on a crop and he was doing his last run and he clipped powerlines which brought the powerlines down and the helicopter which crashed into a cane field.
“It [the crash] did a substantial amount of damage, it pulled the spray rakes off the helicopter and the helicopter ended up on its side – it is a definite write-off yes.”
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says it is investigating the incident.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-21/crop-dusting-chopper-crashes-into-cane-field/5685798