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Weather not a factor in ABC helicopter crash

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau initial report said weather conditions at Lake Eyre were fine last Thursday when an ABC helicopter crashed.

Bad weather was not a factor in the crash of a helicopter near Lake Eyre last week, according to a preliminary report.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau report said conditions were fine and clear in the area when the Aerospatiale Industries AS355 chopper went down in South Australia’s north on Thursday night.

The helicopter crashed shortly after take-off and burst into flames on impact, leaving a 60-metre trail of debris. ABC journalist Paul Lockyer, cameraman John Bean and their pilot Gary Ticehurst died in the crash. All three had been with the ABC for more than 20 years.

The report says all major parts of the 23-year-old twin-engined aircraft have been identified.

Investigators are still at the site and plan to recover the engines, components from the flight control system, flight instruments and the GPS unit.

It is the first fatal crash in Australia involving an AS355 helicopter and the first since 1986 involving a twin-engined chopper.

A further preliminary report on the cause of the crash will be released within 30 days.

Source: The Age, ABC

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