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Post by corsair67 on Nov 21, 2012 22:04:24 GMT 12
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 21, 2012 22:11:30 GMT 12
Title: Sighting of Helicopter Wreckage in Fiordland 10:58pm - 21 November 2012 At about 4pm today (21 November) Southland Police were advised that people on a sightseeing helicopter flight over the Hollyford Valley in Fiordland had spotted what appeared to be the wreckage of a helicopter in the Humboldt Creek area. Police personnel from Queenstown flew into the area in the early evening to confirm the sighting and were able to complete a limited investigation at the scene. An Invercargill Police Search and Rescue Team assisted by an Alpine Cliff Rescue Team from Queenstown is travelling to the site mid-morning tomorrow (Thursday 22 November) with the aim of identifying the helicopter and conducting a scene examination. Police say it is too early to speculate about the identity of the helicopter or its passengers but say that they hope to have more information later tomorrow. ENDS Released by Inspector Olaf Jensen, Southland Police Please view the full news release online at: www.police.govt.nz/news/release/33450.html |
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 22, 2012 10:05:21 GMT 12
Title: Police Team Examines Helicopter Wreckage 10:47am - 22 November 2012 Seven specialist Police staff and two alpine cliff rescue team members have this morning flown into an area near Humboldt Creek, Fiordland, to examine the wreckage of a helicopter spotted there yesterday. Police believe that the helicopter is likely to be a Hughes 500 which was reported missing in the area in early January 2004 with two people on board. The families of these two people have been advised and are being kept informed. However Police say that they won't be able to confirm this until the examination at the scene is completed. The helicopter's wreckage is spread across a large area in rugged terrain. The weather in the area is good and the team is hoping to complete the scene examination today. Southland Police were advised about 4pm yesterday that the wreckage had been seen from the air by people on a sightseeing flight over the Hollyford Valley. ENDS Released by Inspector Olaf Jensen, Southland Police Media inquiries to 027 556 1814 Note to media: There will be a further update later this afternoon. Please view the full news release online at: www.police.govt.nz/news/release/33455.html |
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Post by SEAN on Nov 22, 2012 10:25:18 GMT 12
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rhyno
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 90
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Post by rhyno on Nov 22, 2012 11:15:01 GMT 12
Wasnt this the one Gavin Grimmer was looking for?
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Post by Gary. on Nov 22, 2012 11:30:59 GMT 12
Yeah Gavin has been looking for this one, seems the search may be over. yet to be 100% identified but would be great news for the relatives to have there loved ones back. Rest in peace Campbell and Hannah.
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Post by jonesy on Nov 22, 2012 12:07:30 GMT 12
Bittersweet for the families I bet, but good to have the victims returned to them.
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Post by ngatimozart on Nov 22, 2012 12:56:39 GMT 12
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 22, 2012 17:26:59 GMT 12
Title: Police Confirm Identity of Helicopter 5:09pm - 22 November 2012 Police have today completed a scene examination of the remote site where the wreckage of a Hughes 500 helicopter was located yesterday near Humboldt Creek in Fiordland. Seven specialist Police staff and two alpine cliff rescue team members flew into the area this morning to undertake the examination. Police confirm that the helicopter is the Hughes 500 which went missing on 3rd January 2004 with pilot Campbell Montgomerie (27) and Hannah Rose Timings (28) on board. The pair is yet to be formally identified and this will be done through DNA. On 3rd January 2004 the helicopter had been en route in difficult weather conditions from Howden Hut to Milford Sound when it lost radio contact with the Milford Radio Tower shortly before 9am. An extensive search and rescue operation was mounted the same day throughout the Hollyford Valley. The scenario-based search covered the various routes that the helicopter might have taken from Lake Howden to Milford Sound and included over 200 flying hours and 2,500 people hours. Police say that the wreckage was found at the extremities of the original search area, which comprised extraordinarily difficult and complex terrain. Inspector Olaf Jensen says that the thoughts of Police are with the families at this time and Police hope that the discovery of the wreckage brings some closure for them. ENDS Released by Inspector Olaf Jensen, Southland Police Media inquiries to 027 556 1814. Please view the full news release online at: www.police.govt.nz/news/release/33465.html |
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Post by skyhawkdon on Nov 22, 2012 17:44:52 GMT 12
Watch Campbell Live at 7pm on TV3.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Nov 22, 2012 18:55:18 GMT 12
At least it brings the matter to a conclusion, however sad. It was a nice looking machine: Tauranga 2003 |
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Post by FlyingKiwi on Nov 22, 2012 19:44:06 GMT 12
Good to have at least one more aviation mystery solved, at least as far as the final resting place of the aircraft and its occupants is concerned.
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Post by scrooge on Nov 24, 2012 19:54:09 GMT 12
As a point of curiosity and in the fullness of time, I'll be interested in how the actual location corresponds with the proposed location suggested on the findlostaircraft website.
Glad they've been found regardless.
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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Nov 24, 2012 20:31:47 GMT 12
As a point of curiosity and in the fullness of time, I'll be interested in how the actual location corresponds with the proposed location suggested on the findlostaircraft website. Obviously none of us know the exact location, but here is a section of 1:50,000 NZTM topomap showing the entire length of Humboldt Creek and the terrain immediately around it. I reduced the actual size of the map to 75% of original scale in order to fit it all into a 1000 pixels width image file, but you can still clearly see all the details of the map.  |
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Post by hardyakka on Nov 24, 2012 22:13:28 GMT 12
Unfortunately, Gavin's suggested location (near Lake Quill) was a bit away. The Humboldt Creek/Falls area is about 20 nautical miles East North East of Lake Quill. It is really rugged country and one different turn up one valley could easily change the entire path of events in Gavin's figuring. I bet if he works backwards from the actual crash site, he will be able to quite closely calculate the actual track travelled by the aircraft on that day.
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Post by Gary. on Nov 25, 2012 6:47:07 GMT 12
From what i can work out, reading through all the news articles, the crash site was on the west side of that peak with a saddle on the east side of it toward the western end of that range on the northern side of the Humboldt valley, marked as .1334 on kiwithrottlejockey's map.....Great that the mystery has come to an end.
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Post by scrooge on Nov 25, 2012 10:14:51 GMT 12
Thanks for that guys.
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Post by DragonflyDH90 on Nov 25, 2012 20:14:02 GMT 12
From the Howden Hutt, where they left from, to the crash site is quite a small distance in a relatively wide and open valley. The crash site up Humbolt Creek is a valley almost directly opposite Moraine Creek which is a common route to the Adelaide or Gertrude Saddles which drop directly into the valley the arrives at Milford airport.
Maybe a case of turning right instead of left in poor vis, relatively unfamiliar terrain, possible even a map upside down.
Sad result with a few options for a safe outcome given the area.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 25, 2012 20:44:26 GMT 12
It is nice that the helicopter and its two unfortunate passengers have finally been found. It will provide closure.
I'm curious, after such a length of time will there now be a standard accident investigation that will try to determine a cause and report back? Or is there a length of time that prohibits such a process from being useful and necessary?
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Post by alexjc on Nov 26, 2012 8:46:57 GMT 12
An artical appeared in the Sunday papers regarding the Fiordland Triangle of missing aircraft. Ever since ZK-AFB vanished 'forever', this region has swallowed up quite a few aircraft. Originally from Southland, I can say that Fiordland is one of the most beautiful places on earth...And, as one of my school camps found out, one of the most inhospitable. Anything can dissappear and never be seen again...even Moose of all things. Aircraft in the 1950s-80's didn't stand a chance if it all went wrong.
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