AO-1995-020

On Monday 4 December 1995 at approximately 2010 hours a shooter fell from a Robinson R22 helicopter, ZK-HDD, during an airborne deer hunting operation 18 km north of Karamea, and sustained fatal injuries. The probable cause of the accident was the opening of the karabiner used on the shooter's harness arrangement, by equipment or clothing, thereby causing him to become unrestrained in the helicopter. The safety issue identified is the need to have a restraint system which incorporates safety features to guard against inadvertent release.