A pilot who had participated in a daytime multi-vehicle animal-mustering operation survived the dark night crash of a Robison Helicopter Company R22 in a remote, swampy area of Australia’s Northern Territory, but died of environmental exposure while awaiting rescue, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says.
The pilot’s leg was broken in the Nov. 14, 2022, crash, near the Arafura Swamp, south of Ramingining, and the ATSB said that although the pilot managed to exit the helicopter, the broken leg reduced mobility, presumably preventing the pilot from returning to the wreckage to retrieve and activate the personal locator beacon (PLB) inside the aircraft.
Other participants in the mustering operation, who became concerned when the pilot did not arrive at the mustering camp, about 20 km (11 nm) west of the swamp where they planned to camp overnight, conducted a search using land vehicles but did not notify authorities. They organized an aerial search the fo…
