A helicopter pilot who died when his chopper crashed in the Paekākāriki Hill area last week lost his father in the same way when he was a child.
Joseph Keeley had also survived two previous helicopter crashes himself before the one that claimed his life, as well as the life of Cole Christopher Ritchie on Wednesday.
Keeley, 54, and Ritchie, 25, were pest contractors working on Transmission Gully when their craft crashed into the dense bush.
Keeley’s father, Joseph Keeley Senior, also died in a helicopter crash in 1983, alongside his passenger at the time.
The crash, near Mt Tauhara, Taupō, happened on takeoff from a private property, an Aviation Safety Network report confirmed.
The incident, which left two dead and the aircraft destroyed, was investigated by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission.
Keeley was just 11 when his father died, left behind with three other siblings as young as 3, according to the father’s estate.
Aviation accidents continued to follow this family when Keeley survived two crashes in 1998 just four days apart, The Post reported.
In May that year, Keeley and pilot Rick Lucas were on a deer recovery operation when their helicopter had a mechanical failure, crashing in the Ruahine Ranges.
Keeley freed himself and pulled Lucas out before it caught fire.
Keeley, who had suffered a laceration to his leg, started a fire to keep Lucas warm and was able to climb a ridge to call for help, The Post said.
Four days later, Keeley got on another flight hoping to get accustomed to being in the air again - when the helicopter tipped over during take-off.
Neither Keeley nor his manager, Garry Mahoney, were injured in the second 1998 crash, The Evening Post said.
Last week’s crash happened while Keeley and Ritchie were carrying out work for Trap and Trigger, a company that helps manage invasive pest populations. Trap and Trigger declined to comment on the tragedy to the Herald.
Tributes for the pair have flooded social media, with many praising passenger Ritchie’s YouTube channel, Gone Bush NZ, that has more than 4000 followers.
“RIP Cole, your videos were a great watch mate, gone too soon,” one comment said.
“A hugely talented operator, a massive loss for the pest control industry as well,” another said about Ritchie.
“A tragic loss as you both were doing a job you both had a passion for,” one commenter wrote about the pair.
Friends grieved for the loss of Keeley, writing that “he was a top man.”
Another commented, “So sad for the loss of our good friend Joe. A good bugger.”
Kāpiti Mana Area Commander Inspector Renée Perkins said the response to last week’s crash was a highly coordinated, multi-agency effort, with emergency services, aviation authorities, local iwi and regional partners.
“The response demonstrated the strength of our interagency partnerships and the shared commitment to supporting one another and the community in difficult circumstances.”
MP for Ōtaki and ex-Air Force helicopter pilot Tim Costley earlier 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 the Greater Wellington Regional Council involved.
“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?’”
The area has previously had other helicopter crashes, including the fatal one in nearby Pukerua Bay in 2010.
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 11m 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.
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