Aftermath of crash was ‘utterly horrific’
The widow of a man killed in a helicopter crash says the $47,600 fine handed down to the company involved shows ‘‘life is cheap in New Zealand’’.
Jerome Box, 52, a construction company director from Auckland was killed when the Squirrel AS350B2 he was travelling in with three of his mates crashed on Mount Alta, Wanaka, in August 2014.
The helicopter, belonging to The Helicopter Line Limited (THL), rolled 700 metres down the slope before coming to a stop.
Five of the seven occupants on the heli-skiing trip were ejected from the cabin, all suffering injuries. Box was crushed under the cabin and killed.
THL was convicted and fined $47,600 at a Queenstown District Court hearing before Judge Jan-Marie Doogue on Thursday.
The company had pleaded guilty to failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of its employee while at work and to failing to take all practicable steps to ensure that no action or inaction of any employee while at work harmed any other person.
Box’s wife, Adelle Box, said the fine was proof that ‘‘life is cheap in New Zealand’’.
She said the last three and a half years had been ‘‘utterly horrific’’ for her and her children, Xavier and Briana.
‘‘I’ve not just lost Jerome, but I’ve lost a husband, father of my children, my work colleague, our company.’’
For her son, Xavier, losing his father was like losing his best mate.
‘‘They would go mountain biking together, all sorts of adventures. They would get up in the wee hours of the morning to go down to do some mountain skiing and always learning new things.
‘‘He was a mini Jerome. He went from being a super active kid to being a really hesitant safety-conscious anxious kid.’’
Trying to be both a mother and a father to her children had been a ‘‘hard journey’’.
‘‘When you have a baby you have the option of joining mums groups and you go and have a coffee and learn about the role.
‘‘When you become a widow there’s no such group to join to learn about what you have to deal with. You feel very alone in your journey.’’
Box called her husband the night before the crash as Briana was ‘‘super keen’’ to get hold of him. Jerome Box, who had heli-skiied twice before with THL, was out with his friends as part of their weekend trip away.
‘‘He was excited and really looking forward to it. It was always the highlight of his boys’ long weekend down there.’’
THL acknowledged it breached the Health and Safety in Employment Act by failing to formulate and implement an adequate weight and balance policy, and not ensuring the aircraft was operating within weight and balance limitations.
Before the crash, the five passengers verbally provided their unclothed weights to THL. Use of declared passenger weights is permitted under the Civil Aviation rules, but an additional 4 kilograms should be added to the declared weight of each passenger.
Pilot Dave Matthews did not do that, meaning the aircraft was about 27kg heavier than calculated.
THL chief executive Mark Quickfall said the company ‘‘deeply regrets’’ what happened.
‘‘THL had planned to take the group out for a great day’s heli-skiing and failed, for which we will always be sorry.’’
Adelle Box said she did not hold any grudges towards THL.
‘‘I think the company are doing their best to make amends, show remorse. I think they’re had a lot of learnings from this situation.’’
Judge Doogue said both parties agreed the failings did not cause the crash.
THL had made a voluntary reparation payment of $365,000 to the victims, including $165,000 to Box’s family and $50,000 to each of the other victims.
Judge Doogue reduced THL’s fine for its voluntary payment, co-operating with the investigation, its remorse, remedial action and favourable safety record. A further reduction was given for the company’s guilty plea.
"I've not just lost Jerome, but I've lost a husband, father of my children, my work colleague, our company."
Adelle Box