Two Aussies survive Bali helicopter crash

Two Australians have survived a helicopter crash in Bali suspected to have been caused when a kite string became caught in its propeller near the popular tourist district of south Kuta on Friday.

The crashed helicopter in the South Kuta region of Bali in Indonesia. Picture: Indonesian Search & Rescue Agency

Two Australians have survived a helicopter crash in Bali suspected to have been caused when a kite string became caught in its propeller near the popular tourist district of south Kuta on Friday.

The Australians, named by Indonesian authorities as Russel Harris and Christeophe Castellat, were on a joy flight with three others when the Bell 505 Jet Ranger operated by Bali Heli Tours crash landed at 2.37pm local time – just four minutes after takeoff – near Pecatu Village in Badung Regency.

The Denpasar Search and Rescue Office said all five people on board, including two other Indonesian passengers and an Indonesian pilot, were safely evacuated from the crash site.

Three of the five people were taken to Bali’s Siloam hospital, including Mr Harris who had to be stretchered from the site.

A spokesman for Bali’s Search and Rescue Agency told The Australian Mr Harris appeared to have sustained a back injury and could not move his right leg.

The other two passengers had only minor injuries and did not require further treatment.

Footage taken at the crash site showed the helicopter fuselage wedged on its side against a rocky outcrop at the bottom of a ravine, its wings and tail sheared off and scattered in pieces across the area.

Mr Harris is seen lying prone but responsive on the ground before being placed on a stretcher.

Other photos and footage clearly show string wrapped around the propeller shaft.

While the cause of the accident is still to be formally determined, Indonesia’s directorate general of Civil Aviation issued a statement late on Friday afternoon indicating the crash was a result of “entanglement with kite strings”.

“Currently flight inspectors from the regional airport authority are on their way to the accident site,” the statement said adding the helicopter company involved, PT Whitesky Aviation, had also sent an investigation team.

“The ministry of transportation will intensify socialisation and supervision regarding the dangers of kites by co-ordinating with the acting governor and regional heads in the Bali region to ensure flight safety and security.”

While kite flying is prohibited in Bali anywhere near Ngurah Rai Airport, Indonesia aviation expert Alvin Lie called on authorities to more strictly enforce the law.

Mr Lie told the Weekend Australian local regulations badly needed updating to regulate maximum kite heights, kite sizes, and kite strings, and prohibit kites from flying at night.

“Kites are often flown at night with lights at considerable heights near the take-off and landing areas. Thus, kite hazards exist throughout Indonesia, not just in Bali.

“There is also a rule that helicopters and other light aircraft, when flying over densely populated areas, must be at least 500 feet or 150 meters above the surface. What sometimes happens is that helicopters may not reach 500 feet, possibly because they have just taken off from a non-airport location, such as a tourist site or a field, and when they are about to land, they gradually descend. These regulations also need to be updated because they concern flight safety.”