Helicopter crash: No survivors as wreckage found in Watagans National Park

THEY were flying back to their luxury Sydney home in a trip that should have taken two hours. Three days later, the trio’s fate has been revealed.

Police and air crash investigators will head to the scene of a helicopter crash that killed millionaire photographer Richard Green, his wife Carolyn, and their friend John Davis in the NSW Hunter Region.

Authorities last night said they had found the shattered wreckage of the couple’s private EC135 helicopter in Watagans National Park near Cessnock in the Hunter Valley.

Adventure Photographer and helicopter pilot, Richard Green and wife Carolyn / Picture: Supplied

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s Greg Madden says three investigators will travel to the crash site on Tuesday.

“The first goal is really to secure the site and then we gather as much information as possible,”

Mr Madden told ABC Radio.

The area in Watagans National Park, near Cessnock, where the aircraft of Richard and Carolyn Green's helicopter went down over the weekend.

“Investigators will carefully examine the helicopter wreckage (and) conduct a thorough investigation of the accident site ... particularly to see if there are any ground marks or other evidence that may assist us in determining what may have occurred.”

The trio were last seen at the Harvest Festival mine protest in Breeza, south of Tamworth, on Saturday before taking off in the helicopter with Mr Green at the controls about 3pm.

The flight from the rural community to the Greens’ luxury Terrey Hills home in northern Sydney should have taken just two hours.

No mayday calls or emergency beacon signals were detected from their flight and they weren’t reported missing until 6am yesterday when Mr Davis’ wife contacted authorities.

The search was also delayed because Mr Green, who has a history of close calls and run-ins with aviation authorities, failed to file what is known as an SAR time alert — a nominated time of arrival, after which a search is automatically triggered.

Film maker John Davis died when the helicopter he was travelling on crashed in the Hunter Valley.

Adventure photographer and helicopter pilot Richard Green and his wife Carolyn / Picture: Supplied

An airport or aerodrome would usually report the failure of a helicopter to arrive, but the Greens’ park their aircraft in a private hangar attached to their home.

Breeza Station owner and festival host Andrew Pursehouse said the helicopter arrived at his adjoining Ridge Station shortly before 11am on Saturday and departed shortly after keynote speakers addressed the protest against a proposed Shenhua’s coal mine in the region about 3pm.

Carolyn Green / Pictuire: Supplied

Richard Green and his wife Carolyn / Picture: Supplied

The helicopter took off from Breeza headed for the northern beaches.

A fleet of aircraft yesterday undertook an extensive aerial search covering rugged bush and mountains on their suspected flight path before zeroing in on the crash site last night.

One of 10 helicopters involved found the wreckage in dense vegetation about 7pm.

A paramedic was winched down to confirm it was the missing aircraft.

Mr Green, who described his aircraft as his “pride and joy”, lost his licence for six months in 2013 after a spate of dangerous flying incidents.

Photograph taken of a campsite in the Outback for Richard and Carolyn Green’s book, Remote & Wild: Seeing the Unknown Australia.

Richard Green had become a renowned nature photographer and had published a book of photographs of remote locations.

A weathered outback tree from Richard and Carolyn Green.

Photograph taken of a campsite in the Outback. Picture: Richard Green

http://www.richardgreen.net.au/