Bushfire hero pulled from wreckage after fiery Kosciuszko helicopter crash
Bushfire hero pulled from wreckage after fiery Kosciuszko helicopter crash
17 April 2018
Published by https://www.sbs.com.au/
AUSTRALIA – A hero helicopter pilot who helped save countless homes during Sydney’s wild weekend bushfire has crashed in a remote area of Kosciuszko National Park.
Phil O’Driscoll’s water-bombing helicopter crashed near Cabramurra on Tuesday afternoon, initially catching fire before the flames were extinguished.
A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance told SBS News “the patient has been transported to Canberra Hospital where he is in a stable condition and being treated for head and spinal injuries”.
Another fiery smash in Canada in 2005 left Mr O’Driscoll with severe burn scars on his face.
The UH-1H helicopter that came down on Tuesday is operated by O’Driscoll Aviation, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority database confirms.
It’s used for water-bombing operations and fought the Holsworthy blaze that started on Saturday afternoon and has now burnt through almost 3300 hectares of Sydney bushland.
The helicopter – built in 1965 – was returning from the city when it crashed on Tuesday, a CASA spokesman told AAP.
A Rural Fire Service spokesman confirmed the helicopter had been involved in fighting the Holsworthy blaze but said Mr O’Driscoll was working on a private job on Tuesday.
Mr O’Driscoll was the sole occupant of the helicopter.
He recently shared a video on Facebook of his firefighting runs for the RFS in the Riverina region on April 12.
AAP understands the helicopter also tackled the massive bushfire at Tathra in mid-March which destroyed 100 properties.
Mr O’Driscoll narrowly escaped death in 2005 after his helicopter smashed into a cliff in the Canadian wilderness as he tried to avoid hitting people, News Corp Australia reported in 2010.
The UH-1H helicopter was donated to the pilot by a Northern Territory family in 2010 to help him get back on his feet.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will send a team from Canberra to investigate Tuesday’s crash.
