Camera ‘invaluable’ to Hawkes Bay crash probe

Authorities investigating the fatal chopper clang which killed Edwin Kraft and his favored dog, Roxy, accidental a camera recovered washed up connected a adjacent formation is proving “invaluable”.

The chopper aviator was travelling to Wallis Island, connected the NSW northbound coast, erstwhile his craft vanished astir 9.20am connected October 26 past year.

The incidental prompted an extended hunt which located parts of the wreckage of his chopper a fewer days aboriginal adjacent Hawks Nest.

Mr Kraft’s remains were ne'er found.

On Tuesday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ASTB) released a preliminary study into the accident, uncovering the chopper experienced an “in-flight break-up” earlier impacting the waters of Providence Bay.

ATSB main commissioner Angus Mitchell said investigation of recovered instruments revealed Mr Kraft’s craft experienced a bid of initially insignificant changes successful roll, transportation and yaw arsenic it passed implicit the southbound shoreline of Yacaaba Headland.

The study recovered the helicopters chemoreceptor pitched down and rolled to the close becoming “completely inverted”, with the main rotor apt striking the cabin.

It notes Mr Kraft was fatally injured successful the crash.

Mr Mitchell said the helicopter’s on-board camera had proven “invaluable” to the probe after it was recovered connected a formation adjacent the mishap tract by a subordinate of the public.

The instrumentality was recovered to person recorded in-cabin imaginativeness and audio, alongside GPS position, acceleration, and rotational speed.

After the accident, Mr Kraft’s daughter, Ashleigh, said the quality had near her “extremely breached and numb”.

She described her dada arsenic “the astir selfless antheral I know”.

“I privation I had 1 much accidental to accidental goodbye, beingness takes distant the ones who are the astir deserving to beryllium here,” she said.

A last study into the incidental volition beryllium published astatine the decision of the investigation.

“Investigators are besides intimately examining the meteorological conditions astatine the clip of the accident, peculiarly successful the contiguous vicinity of Mount Yacaaba,” Mr Mitchell said.