Robinson R22 crash near Reefton, New Zealand

On March 27, 2017, about 0345 Universal Time, a Robinson R22, New Zealand registration ZK-IHA, impacted forested terrain about 5.5 miles north of Reefton, West Coast. The pilot, the sole occupant was fatally injured, and the helicopter was substantially damaged. It was reported that the purpose of the flight was a private hunting flight.The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of New Zealand. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by the Government of New Zealand; case AO-2017-002. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Transport Accident Investigation Commission P.O. Box 10-323 Wellington 6143 New Zealand Tel.: (64) 4-473-0199 (24 hours) (64) 4-473-3112 E-mail: inquiries@taic.org.nz Fax: (64) 4-499-1510 Website: http://www.taic.org.nz