Pilot disputes cloud coverage
A Southland helicopter pilot facing charges in relation to a crash that killed his passenger has disputed how much cloud may have been at Lindis Pass at the time of the crash.
Murray Sarginson is on trial, facing five charges related to the April 30, 2016 crash that led to the death of the passenger – his friend Liam Edwards, 32, who was a new father.
The trial, which began on August 13 in Queenstown, resumed in Invercargill yesterday.
The Civil Aviation Authority claims Sarginson flew his overloaded Robinson R22 in poor visibility when he crashed.
The pair were flying from Athol, in Southland, to Mt Algidus Station in Canterbury.
Sarginson suffered chest and head injuries and Edwards was found dead at the scene.
Before the crash, Edwards had become a partner in Sarginson’s agricultural contracting business, Ag Works South.
Sarginson was cross-examined by Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) lawyer Stephanie Bishop yesterday.
Bishop said previous evidence in the trial showed the Lindis Pass was full of cloud at the time of the crash but Sarginson said this was incorrect.
‘‘The Lindis Pass wasn’t full of cloud . . . I could see right down the valley.’’
He agreed there was a layer of cloud because he could see above and below it.
The cloud was ‘‘coming and going’’, he said. ‘‘I was there and I am telling you what I saw.’’
He was intending to go over the Lindis Pass but instead decided to turn east because it was a ‘‘safer option’’ to stay clear of the cloud.
When flying towards the Lindis saddle, he looked down to the pass and could see the valley floor and knew there was 1700 feet of clear air, he said.
He saw sun indicating large broken cloud areas to the north so turned at Lindis saddle and flew down the eastern side of broken cloud to the end of the range where the accident happened.
Sarginson said he had looked at the Metvuw weather forecasting site before the flight, which he described as a ‘‘relatively reliable source of weather information’’.
He had not looked at MetFlight, an aviation weather briefing system as he did not use it, he said.
Bishop said Metvuw provided broad weather information but MetFlight provided more specific information about particular areas.
Other tools were also available to check specific weather in any areas such as webcams and Sarginson did not check those.
He agreed if he had checked MetFlight he would have known there was a cloud layer 2000 feet above ground level.
His weather information had indicated it was ‘‘1700 feet clear air [above ground level]’’, he said.
‘‘Given there was cloud 2000ft above ground level, if you had known that while planning your flight you could have avoided that area, do you agree?’’ Bishop asked.
‘‘I did avoid that area, I didn’t go near the cloud,’’ he said.
He earlier agreed with Bishop that all pilots should become familiar with details of a flight they were going on, including getting the current meteorological information.
Sarginson agreed that he would want to avoid cloud as it was disorienting to fly in.
The CAA also claims his helicopter was overloaded and Bishop questioned him at length about this issue.
Sarginson said he did a weight in balance calculation for the flight in his head but not on paper. ‘‘That’s all you are required to do.’’
He didn’t weigh the things that went into the helicopter because he already knew the weights, he said.
Sarginson believed the pathologist who had weighed Edwards was incorrect when saying he was 94 kilograms.
He agreed that he had never weighed Edwards himself but said: ‘‘The couple of times I asked his weight, he said he was lighter than me and I had no reason to [not believe him].’’
Bishop said if the pathologist was right and Edwards weighed 94kg and his clothes and other items were taken into account then ‘‘31 pounds is added onto an already overloaded aircraft’’.
She suggested to Sarginson he had no idea what the personal items on the helicopter weighed but he disagreed.
She accused him of making up a ‘‘wild story’’ about Edwards being responsible for some of the extra weight by taking cans of beer on board when told not to but he denied it was a made-up story.
The trial, before Judge Bernadette Farnan, continues today.