Inquiry into Northland helicopter crash in Uretiti will soon be under way

The Civil Aviation Authority will soon begin an inquiry into the helicopter crash that occurred on Uretiti Beach, in Northland.

On Sunday, two occupants of a home-built kit helicopter had a lucky escape after having a “rough landing”.

Emergency services were called to the area around 12.15pm after receiving several reports of a helicopter “coming down” on the beach.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said they were aware of the helicopter accident near Ruakākā and look forward to working with the pilot in the coming days.

They plan to understand what exactly happened and why, to determine whether any further action needed to be taken.

Walking past the site, Waipu resident John Subritzky said that he never expected to see a crashed helicopter on a beach.

“I was doing my routine afternoon walk with my dog and one of my friends when I saw several emergency personnel working to clear the area.”

He said when they arrived the two occupants had already been taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Earlier Hato Hone St John said two people were taken to hospital with moderate injuries.

Subritzky observed that the debris from the helicopter’s rotor blades and other metal reinforcements were spread out in an approximately 20m radius.

Remnants of the tail rotor, which struck a dune on the way down, could be seen on the beach as well.

He said the crash site was at least 400m from the nearest DoC camp.

John Subritzky was an eyewitness on site watching the crash cleanup. Photo/ John Subritzky

“Emergency services did a great job of clearing it quickly. They finished up around 3pm.”

He said the crashed aircraft was then towed by another helicopter.

Some locals fishing at the Harbour expressed their disbelief at seeing a helicopter towing another helicopter.

The owner of the helicopter, involved in the crash, declined to comment to the media.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Northern Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.