‘Incredible’ survival
Trio swim to shore in darkness after helicopter crash
Moments after miraculously surviving their helicopter crashing into the freezing cold Southern Ocean, a pilot and medic rescued their unconscious companion from the wreckage in the pitchblack darkness and swam to shore.
Pilot Andrew Hefford and medic John Lambeth were sitting at the front, with winchman Lester Stevens the lone passenger in the back, when the helicopter plunged into the sea on Monday evening, about two minutes out from landing on Enderby Island, north of the Auckland Islands.
The subantarctic islands – 465 kilometres south of Bluff – are considered inhospitable and are known to experience harsh weather.
Southern Lakes Helicopters operations manager Lloyd Matheson said the impact of the crash caused Stevens to lose consciousness, and the other two men had to pull him from the wreckage.
‘‘The three made it to shore some distance in the dark, no navigation lights on the island, nothing, just complete blackness. It was an incredible job to survive,’’ he said.
‘‘Good team effort between the three, they managed to get to shore and are around to tell the tale.’’
Stevens’ father, John Stevens, said his daughter-in-law called him early yesterday morning to tell him the helicopter was missing.
‘‘Helicopters crash from time to time, and it’s quite often that people don’t survive them, so you can imagine that I was very concerned,’’ he said.
‘‘They were well equipped to withstand any emergency. [Lester] is resourceful, if anyone was going to survive, he would survive.’’
The men were found about 11.45am yesterday by experienced pilot and search and rescue expert Sir Richard ‘‘Hannibal’’ Hayes. They ‘‘waving frantically’’ wearing immersion suits on a beach on the northeast corner of the island, Matheson said.
‘‘They managed to get to shore and are around to tell the tale.’’ Lloyd Matheson, Southern Lakes Helicopters