Two people have died in a helicopter crash in the Paekākāriki Hill area near Wellington.
Emergency services began searching the rugged area after receiving an automated crash alert at 7.30am today.
According to a person working near the scene of the crash, the chopper was unrecognisable.
The witness told RNZ they checked the vital signs of one of two people on the helicopter, but they were dead.
The man said the helicopter, which he understood was involved in goat culling, was leaking fuel after the crash, but he was unable turn the machine off before deciding to move away due to the fire risk.
Police Inspector Renee Perkins confirmed in a statement that both the pilot and the sole passenger were found dead after the crash.
“Work is ongoing to recover the deceased and to examine the crash scene, which will be done in conjunction with investigators from the Civil Aviation Authority,” Perkins said.
“Our thoughts are with their families at this time.”
Emergency services have set up a base of operations at Battle Hill Farm Forest Park, with a police cordon in place at the entrance to the popular camping area.
Maritime NZ said two rescue helicopters and police were in the area and support from Fire and Emergency was being organised.
A Fire and Emergency shift manager told NZME they had two crews in the area from Porirua and had sent out their “line rescue team”.
“You might also know it as rope rescue,” he said.
Line rescue teams are trained in high-angle, vertical, or challenging terrain, often handling rescues at height or in confined spaces.
Spokespeople for both Kāpiti and Wellington airports said the flight was not associated with them.
A spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said they were aware of the crash in the Akatarawa Forest area.
“At this stage, the CAA will make initial inquiries to understand what occurred and why, and to determine whether any further action is required.”
MP for Ōtaki and ex-Air Force helicopter pilot Tim Costley told the Herald he was “really sad” to hear about the “tragic” crash.
“I know that first responders, including two rescue helicopters, did everything they could to try and save lives and fight for a better outcome.”
He said this outcome would be “gutting for them” as well as people from the Rescue Co-ordination Centre, CAA and Greater Wellington Regional Council involved.
Costley said members of the public should respect the cordons in place at Battle Hill campground and people who work in the area.
“Let’s keep the families first and foremost in our thoughts at this really sad time.”
His experience as a pilot meant that once he found out about the crash, it sent his mind wandering.
“You look out at the window at what the weather conditions are and then you think, ‘Well, what could have caused this?’
“You try and unpack what might have happened and how bad or positive it might be.”
Costley recalled losing three colleagues in a 2010 Air Force helicopter crash near Paekākāriki Hill Rd, close to the same area as the crash from this morning.
“Naturally your mind wanders back to that ... the heartbreak of losing friends,” he said.
“Today, two more families go through that same unimaginable experience.”
Having been a rescue pilot, Costley said he knew first-hand the importance of “giving people space to respond” and not speculating too much about the details.
The area has previously had other helicopter crashes, including the fatal one in nearby Pukerua Bay in 2010 that Costley referred to.
The NZ Defence Force pleaded guilty in 2014 for the deadly incident, with a court hearing Air Force commanders allowed a dangerous and deadly culture of rule-breaking to exist in an environment which had few warning systems, ultimately resulting in the unnecessary deaths of three young airmen.
In 2017, another chopper came down in the Pauatahanui inlet, with pilot Rick Lucas managing to escape the sinking aircraft.
The BK117 A-3 helicopter was being used to transport three 11-metre hardwood power poles when Lucas lost control and plunged into the water below.
An investigation showed a phenomenon known as “unanticipated yaw” was probably responsible for the crash.
Unanticipated yaw is when the body of the helicopter begins to move in the opposite direction to the rotors. It can be fixed if the pilot notices it and acts quickly.