Missing part to blame: report

The Volcanic Air Safaris helicopter on a scenic flight ditched in Lake Rotorua in February 2013. Photo / Stephen Parker

A missing part may have caused a helicopter engine to lose power, forcing its pilot to make an emergency landing in Lake Rotorua, a report says.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission yesterday released its report into the Volcanic Air Safaris helicopter ditching into the lake on February 24, 2013.

On that day a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter operated by Volcanic Air Safaris departed on its second scenic flight for the day, with the pilot and three passengers, a father and two children, on board.

About 15 to 20 seconds into the flight, at 400 to 500 feet (122-152m) above the lake, a strong fuel smell was noticed by the passengers in the back seats and a warning horn sounded, the report said.

The pilot turned the helicopter towards the shoreline, where she carried out a successful ditching near the lake edge in waist-deep water. All on board escaped uninjured.

The commission's report stated the most likely cause of the engine's power loss was a malfunction of the engine's right magneto, a self-contained engine component.

"The malfunction was caused by engine oil that had accumulated in the magneto because an oil slinger had been omitted during a maintenance procedure," it said.

The commission also found that the imported, second-hand engine and its records had not been subjected to the required level of scrutiny, but that was unlikely to have contributed to the power loss.

It said Volcanic Air Safaris had complied with the requirement for life jackets to be carried but being at a low height there was little time for passengers to put them on before ditching.

"A less-controlled ditching or a ditching into deeper water, could have had a less favourable outcome in this incident," it said.

It said the risk to people in helicopter flights over water would be reduced if quick-donning life jackets were worn at all times where there was the potential for the helicopter to ditch with short notice.

Volcanic Air Safaris director Tim Barrow praised his pilot's quick thinking.

"At the end of the day, the pilot handled the situation extremely well and all those on board were able to walk away uninjured and safe," he said.

The report said the company's policy was for the pilot and passengers to wear lifejackets during longer flights over water, but it was not its normal practice on short city scenic flights.

Mr Barrow said the company had always [complied with this policy] and would always do so.

*To read the full report visit www.taic.org.nz.