Helicopter ‘overweight’

A Southland pilot involved in a fatal crash was flying in a ‘‘grossly, irresponsibly overweight’’ helicopter when the incident happened, a Civil Aviation Authority lawyer says.

CAA lawyer Stephanie Bishop made the claim to pilot Murray Sarginson when cross-examining him in the Invercargill District Court yesterday.

‘‘That’s not correct,’’ Sarginson replied. Later in his evidence, he said: ‘‘If the helicopter was grossly overloaded as you suggest, I don’t believe it could have taken off out of our home.’’

His takeoff that day was ‘‘normal’’, he said.

Bishop later said if the helicopter was at 1523 pounds (690 kilograms), Sarginson would have been able to take off, given the expert evidence heard during the trial.

‘‘But . . . you would be pulling the snot out of it,’’ she said.

Sarginson faces five charges related to the April 13, 2016, crash that led to the death of his passenger – his 32-year-old friend Liam Edwards, who was also his business partner.

Sarginson’s trial began on August 13 in Queenstown and has resumed in Invercargill this week.

The CAA claims Sarginson was flying his overloaded Robinson R22 in poor visibility when he crashed.

Evidence has been given during the trial that Sarginson had hovered near a steep hillside near Lindis Pass, waiting for fog to clear, but the helicopter had hit the hill.

‘‘If the helicopter was grossly overloaded as you suggest, I don’t believe it could have taken off.’’ Murray Sarginson, pilot

The pair were flying from Athol, in Southland, to Mt Algidus Station, in Canterbury, at the time of the crash.

Sarginson suffered head and chest injuries and Edwards was found dead at the scene.

Much of yesterday was spent with Bishop quizzing Sarginson about the amount of fuel in the helicopter, with Bishop suggesting he wasn’t truthful in some of his evidence.

Sarginson was adamant he was. According to evidence, a canister of fuel was under a seat in the helicopter.

Bishop suggested the canister of fuel was not put into the helicopter’s tanks because the tanks were full. Sarginson said she was incorrect. Bishop suggested Sarginson had filled up his tanks, and had a contingency can of fuel, but he had ‘‘no idea’’ what the weight of the helicopter was.

‘‘That’s not correct,’’ he said. Bishop also talked about how weight compromised performance in a helicopter.

Sarginson agreed weight was a significant factor that affected an aircraft’s performance.

The heavier an aircraft was, the lower the altitude it could hover, he agreed.

The trial, before Judge Bernadette Farnan, continues today.