WELLINGTON - Aviation authorities say there have been delays in marking powerlines and introducing rules to help prevent air crashes involving lines and other wires.
But in the wake of Tuesday's helicopter crash, which killed five people, the Civil Aviation Authority says there has been concentration on pilot awareness and education about wire danger.
A spokesman, Martyn Gosling, said in most cases, accidents involving wires or powerlines occurred when aircraft were well below the minimum height at which they should be flying.
Pilots yesterday criticised the lack of powerline markers.
Queenstown pilot Janey Blair and two American couples were killed in the crash, on the shores of Lake Manapouri.
The two couples, who were travelling together, had arrived in New Zealand the day before the crash.
They were Sandra Elizabeth Robinson, aged 56, and her husband, Grover Cleveland Robinson III, 56, of Florida, and Chanetta Perdue Terrell, 65, and her husband, Richmond Britton Terrell, 67, of California.
The Hughes 530F helicopter clipped a high voltage overhead power cable near the Lake Manapouri power station on its descent.
Transport investigators have yet to establish whether the crash was caused by impact with the wires or something before that.
Other pilots were yesterday coming to grips with the death of yet another colleague.
Queenstown pilot Jules Tapper said Ms Blair was an inspiration to many, particularly after her successful battle with thyroid cancer and her career as a top New Zealand ski racer.
"It's the old story - we are all there but for the grace of God. We certainly don't think we are bullet-proof and a lot of us have been in the same situation as Janey, but we've got away with it," he said.
Te Anau-based pilot Russell Baker said yesterday that pilots in the region were struggling to come to grips with the crash. "People are pretty shocked and stunned. Janey was a pretty gutsy little girl."
Mr Gosling said that in the 20 years to the end of last year there were 73 "wire-strike accidents," in which 32 people had died.
Most accidents occurred when aircraft were below minimum heights.
"You've got to have a bona fide reason to be down below that height. Giving the tourists a thrill is not a bona fide reason."
Mr Gosling said there were still issues to be resolved before any powerlines would be marked, including legal issues, who would pay and planning permission.
The authority had been working hard to ensure pilots knew about "wire-strike avoidance." An expert had been brought from America to give seminars for both civil and military pilots and a range of "helikiwi" seminars on the same subject.
Mr Gosling said the authority had been working with the aviation industry and power suppliers to draw up a method of determining which wires to mark.
Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigators finished examining the crash site yesterday and the wreckage was put in storage in Te Anau to enable more detailed investigations to follow.
Chief inspector Tim Burfoot said two commission investigators would today interview people who were in the area at the time of the crash, including some who heard it.
- NZPA
Wire danger row follows copter crash
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