Four killed in New Zealand copter crash

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Four killed in New Zealand copter crash

WELLINGTON -- Police have confirmed the deaths of four men after a Squirrel helicopter crashed into a bush-clad Waikato mountainside near Raglan.

Inspector Kelvin Powell said police had found the bodies at the crash site yesterday.

The four, who included two brothers, were all from Waikato. There were the pilot David John Logan, 39, of Cambridge; a non-sworn policeman, Glen Phillips, of Hamilton; and Raglan brothers Gregory Francis Lee, 38, a fisherman, and Kevin Barry Lee, 35, a Telecom technician.

Wreckage was found on the south-eastern side of Mount Karioi, near Raglan, about 6pm, National Rescue Co-ordination Centre spokeswoman Emma Peel said.

It appeared the Hamilton Heliworks helicopter had struck the mountain fairly hard, Mr Powell said. It had crashed through the tree canopy in low cloud.

"We have an air-accident investigator coming tomorrow. We will be looking to retrieve the bodies in the morning," he said. Mr Phillips was known to most of those searching for his body, Mr Powell said.

"Dealing with any of these things can always be traumatic, but it's even worse - particularly in the early stages when they were overdue - knowing that a police officer was one of the occupants of the helicopter," he said.

http://www.press.co.nz/2000/10/000308n30.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 07, 2000


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