Bad call led to helicopter nearly landing in lake: Report

The crew of a helicopter who made a big splash with their aircraft when they accidentally hit a Tasmanian lake failed to communicate properly, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says.

Lake Rosebery and Mount Murchison near Tullah. PICTURE CHRIS KIDD

The crew of a helicopter who made a big splash with their aircraft when they accidentally hit a Tasmanian lake failed to communicate properly, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau says.

The ATSB on Wednesday released an Occurrence Brief into the serious incident involving a Bell Helicopter near Tullah on July 17 last year.

The report said the two-person crew had departed Cressy and arrived at Tullah to find it mostly covered by fog.

As they approached the town, they disagreed about whether to continue the flight.

The pilot-in-command took over and decided to make slow and steep approach towards the reservoir, hoping to see the water from around 100 feet up and use that to establish their height.

“Video footage received by the ATSB from a third party shows the helicopter descended toward the water in fog,” the report said.

“Approximately five feet above the water, the crew identified the water surface and the PIC immediately applied power to stop the descent and initiate a climb.

“The PIC reported that before the descent could be arrested, the skids contacted the water. “Video footage showed the helicopter making a significant splash.”

They went on to land safely near Tullah when the fog cleared.

The ATSB said an “informed and coordinated approach to decision‑making” would have helped.

“In this instance, the controlled flight into water could have been avoided if the crew had followed effective crew resource management procedures when considering options for an approach over still water and with fog in the area.”

The report noted that the incident was not reported at the time as required under Transport Safety Investigation Regulations. The probe was launched after video was passed on by a third party.

Originally published as Bad call led to helicopter nearly landing in lake: Report