AO-1995-017

On Wednesday 25 October 1995 at 0915 hours ZK-HKM, a Robinson R22 helicopter, broke up in flight and fell to the ground hitting State Highway 35 to the north-east of Opotiki. The pilot and a shooter died in the accident. The cause of the accident was the failure of a tail rotor blade on which an unauthorised repair had been carried out. The safety issues identified include the need to positively establish the history of critical components fitted to certificated aircraft, or to have the components supplied through approved distributors.