THE failure of a key mechanical component appears the most likely cause of the dramatic crash of Westpac Rescue Helicopter Angel 3 near Warialda on Friday, February 2, a preliminary Australian Transport Safety Investigation Report has found.
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The report, released on Friday, confirmed the chopper had not been overloaded at the time of its departure from Tamworth and chronicled the quick thinking of locally based pilot, David Davies, in bringing the machine down in one piece and without injury to himself or his passengers. It noted that Mr Davies, who has more than 9,500 hours flying experience, had a total of 410 hours on this type of helicopter.
He had accrued 56 hours experience on the Bell 407 in the previous 90 days and had completed his last proficiency check with the service's chief pilot little more than a fortnight before on January 19, 2007.
"The check included several auto-rotation emergency landings," the report noted.
The Westpac operated Bell 407 had completed 3203 hours from new at the time of the crash.
The passenger's windscreen was broken and the landing gear destroyed on impact. The report found the machine had landed heavily, hitting the ground tail first and then sliding for about 15 metres before coming to rest.
Mr Davies reported at the time – and also told the investigators – that he had been forced to make a last minute manoeuvre to clear powerlines in the field where he was attempting to land.
The suspect mechanical component – which is still the subject of an ongoing investigation – is the helical torquemeter gear.
"Preliminary examination of the helical torquemeter gear confirmed the component fractured through the rim and web sections, releasing two similarly sized segments," the report stated.
"Fracture surface appearances suggested the failure had developed from the radial growth of fatigue cracking from an origin at a the root region of a rim gear tooth."
Crewman Jamie Yeo, emergency specialist Dr Chris Trethewy and paramedic Stuart Harris were also aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash.
Speaking shortly after the incident all three praised Mr Davies for his efforts, saying his skill and judgement had saved all on board from death or serious injury.
Within minutes of the machine plummeting to earth Dr Trethewy and Mr Harris had flagged down a passing farmer to travel to Warialda to assist the victims of the horrific car crash they had been called out to attend.
