Mystery continues more than two years after 'family men' killed in helicopter crash

Thursday, 28 March 2019

Allan Jessop, was remembered as a much-loved family man and big part of Northland farming culture. He died in the helicopter crash.

The reason for a helicopter crash that killed two men may never be known due to damage caused to the aircraft.

But investigators said flight recorders – which were described in a recommendation which the transport ministry rejected three months before the crash – would have 'very likely' helped determine the crash cause.

Allan Jessop and Derek Hammond died in a Northland helicopter crash in October 2016. Jessop, 42, was from Tangiteroria near Dargaville, and Hammond, 49, was from Kauri, near the Glenbervie Forest crash scene.

In a final report published on Thursday, crash investigators said if an on-board recorder had been fitted and recovered, 'it would very likely have helped to identify the cause or causes' of the fatal crash.

**READ MORE:

Derek Hammond, 49, from Kauri, died when a Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into the Glenbervie Forest.

* Report on fatal Glenbervie Forest helicopter crash released

* Helicopter crash victim Derek Hammond 'a really happy guy'

* Pilot killed in chopper crash was 'part of Northland farming culture'**

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission said damage the R44 Robinson helicopter sustained in the accident and subsequent fire, and a lack of any other 'incontrovertible evidence', meant the accident cause could not be determined.

Captain Tim Burfoot, TAIC's chief investigator of accidents, said TAIC made no new recommendations beyond an existing one for flight data recorders in some helicopter classes.

TAIC's website showed that recommendation was made to the former Secretary for Transport in July 2016 but rejected.

The ministry at the time said the recommendation was 'premature' and more work was needed to establish benefits and costs of flight data and video recording in cockpits.

According to TAIC, the recommendation around promoting cockpit video recorders and data capture was made after a previous Robinson R44 crash in Queenstown.

On Thursday, the ministry said it was working with the Civil Aviation Authority and broader aviation sector to ensure regulations were appropriate.

'The CAA is currently analysing the impact of mandating this requirement on the general aviation community,' said Tom Forster, the ministry's international connections manager.

Forster said if this review found a change to regulations was appropriate, a recommendation would be made to the government for a rule change.

'When trying to understand the factors behind any aviation accident, the more data the better,' Forster added.

'The information from in-flight data recorders is invaluable to air crash investigators in the aftermath of an aviation incident or accident.'

Meanwhile, crash possibilities rejected and described in the fatal crash report included engine defects, or a medical event affecting either man.

A bolt on one rotor was found to be missing, TAIC said in a report summary - but it was virtually certain the bolt dislodged during the impact sequence, and did not contribute to the crash.

'It was not possible to determine why the cyclic extension for the left seat was installed and if it was being used at the time of the accident or at any time during the flight.'

The R44 which crashed in Northland was manufactured in 2013.