Tuesday, 15 December 2020, 6:44 pm
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has
opened an inquiry into the causes and circumstances of the
helicopter accident at the Kekerengu River mouth at around
12:40pm today, 15 December 2020.
The circumstances
reported to date are that the Airbus Helicopter EC120 was
traveling from Christchurch with five persons on board when
it lost control, descended and impacted shallow water close
to the beach.
Two persons on board have been reported
as fatally injured, and three seriously injured in the
accident.
Harald Hendel, the Chief Investigator of
Accidents, says there may be people who saw what happened,
given the location of the accident adjacent to a busy café