Pilot seriously hurt in Ruapehu chopper crash

A pilot was seriously hurt when his helicopter went down in hills in the Ruapehu District yesterday morning.

He was the only person on the chopper when it crashed about 9.30am into the forest near Raetihi.

Ruapehu District Council chief executive Clive Manley said the man was flying one of two helicopters that were transporting beehives in the area when the accident happened.

Manley said luckily the man’s injuries were not life-threatening.

The crash site’s remoteness meant fire, ambulance and police took more than 40 minutes to reach the wreckage in the Waimarino Forest.

Palmerston North rescue operator Lance Burns said his helicopter could not land and the 29-year-old pilot had to be winched out.

“It was steep terrain and a lot of gorse bush, but we got him out as safely and quickly as we could.”

He said it took the rescue helicopter about 22 minutes to get to where the man had crashed.

The pilot was stabilised on site before being airlifted to Whanganui Hospital a little after midday.

The chopper landed at the hospital at 12.45pm and the pilot was transferred to its emergency department.

A hospital spokesman said later in the afternoon that the man was in a serious but stable condition.

Earlier yesterday a Rescue Co- ordination Centre spokeswoman said the rescue helicopter had flown from Palmerston North to the crash site. “The pilot is conscious and breathing.”

A St John spokesman confirmed ambulance staff had treated the pilot at the scene, before he was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

Police said the pilot was the only person on the crashed helicopter.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission would investigate the cause of the crash.