Helicopter crash at Moorabbin Airport
A helicopter on what was believed to be a training flight has crashed shortly after take off at Moorabbin Airport on Thursday, with those inside miraculously surviving.
Victoria
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A helicopter has crashed in Melbourne’s southeast on Thursday afternoon, with those inside miraculously surviving.
It’s understood the helicopter crashed shortly after take off at Moorabbin Airport about 2.30pm and that it was a training flight.
Emergency crews were called to the scene with photos of the wreckage showing the helicopter, smashed, on its side.
Incredibly, nobody was killed in the crash but one person was taken to hospital.
Photos of the scene show the crashed helicopter surrounded in foam, with Fire Rescue Victoria confirming it was applied to prevent a fire.
“Firefighters arrived to find a helicopter that had crashed by the side of a runway and was
leaking fuel,” a spokesman said.
“Unable to stop the leak, FRV crews laid a blanket of firefighting foam over the spilt fuel and aircraft and isolated power sources to the helicopter to ensure the fuel did not ignite.”
According to Channel 7 News one person was taken to Melbourne’s Alfred hospital, but had only minor injuries.
Two student pilots in the sky at the time of the crash told the Herald Sun they assumed the worst when they heard of the accident.
Jacob Tang, who was on a training flight when news was relayed about the crash, said he had exclaimed “oh my God” and feared the worst.
“We were told to clear the frequency and the control tower told us that Moorabbin is unserviceable,” he said.
The aviation radio term means part of, if not the entire, airport is unavailable for aircraft operations.
“My instructor went ‘oh my God’ but told me to first focus on our flight,” Mr Tang said.
Another student said it was “awful” news.
It’s understood flight operations at the airport were suspended for around 45 minutes while emergency services attended the wreckage.
Flight tracking software Flightradar24, shows the helicopter taking off just after 2.15pm.
The flight then takes a pass-over the airport as it reaches an altitude of 700 feet.
The helicopter was in the air for less than five minutes according to the software before it crashed down in the airfield.
It is unknown at this stage what caused the aircraft to plummet to the ground.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau issued a statement on Thursday saying it was still deciding whether to investigate the incident.
“The ATSB has been notified of a collision with terrain accident involving an R44 helicopter during training operations at Moorabbin this afternoon, and is currently gathering further information to determine a decision on whether to investigate,” it said.
The Robinson Helicopter is owned by A&P Aviation Services Pty Ltd, that rent multiple aircraft for varying purposes.
The website states “all of our services exist to make your life easier and stress free.”
The Herald Sun has contacted the owners for comment.
Originally published as Helicopter crash at Moorabbin Airport
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