On 9 December
2009, at about 1120 Eastern Daylight-saving Time, the pilot of a
Bell Helicopter Company 206L-1 LongRanger, registered VH-MJO, was
conducting a visual flight rules fire-fighting support flight in
the area of Dorrigo, New South Wales with one passenger on board.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot encountered reduced visibility
conditions due to low cloud. Subsequently, all visual reference
with the horizon and the ground was lost. The pilot attempted to
land, but the helicopter impacted the ground in an uncontrolled
state and with significant vertical force. The passenger was
fatally injured and the pilot was seriously injured. The helicopter
was seriously damaged.
The
investigation found that after the pilot established the hover, the
helicopter entered the rapidly fluctuating cloud. The pilot lost
visual reference and became spatially disoriented and the
helicopter impacted the ground in an uncontrolled state. The at
times rapidly-moving fog or low cloud in the vicinity of the
helicopter landing area (HLA) increased the risk of visual
operations encountering instrument meteorological conditions at the
HLA.
Following the
accident, a full review of the operational procedures affecting the
operation was conducted jointly by the then Department of
Environment, Climate Change and Water; the NSW Rural Fire Service;
and other NSW fire‑fighting authorities. An action plan was
implemented to make several safety enhancements to those
operational procedures. In addition, the National Parks and
Wildlife Service ceased operations at the Dorrigo helicopter
landing site.
