Correction: Kiwi UH-1H crashes on way to ANZAC parade

[Erik_7Xi]

In the early hours of ANZAC Day (25th April), a RNZAF UH-1H crashed into a hill near Wellington - killing three crew members, leaving a forth seriously wounded.

The accident happened around 06:45 AM, when a formation of three Hueys were on their way to Wellington, where they would perform a fly-by during the ANZAC parade. The formation of UH-1Hs were flying through low hanging fog when one of the helicopters flew into a hill, with the wreckage rolling down the hillside. The aircraft commander, co-pilot and another crew member were instantly killed when the helicopter struck the hill.

It has been a very tough year for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, having lost Squadron Leader Nick Cree on 14th January 2010. Squadron Leader Cree was a member of the Red Checkers, the CT-4 equipped demo team of the RNZAF.

On ANZAC Day, the Australians and New Zealanders pay tribute to the fallen soldiers of the World War I Turkish campaign - although also fallen soldiers of World War II and more recent conflicts like Vietnam are remembered as well.

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In local news reports, the Huey was referred to as '06' - making it NZ3806 (WRONG! See below!). This was the first fatal UH-1H accident in 38 years. (NZ3810 was lost in 1972, killing three crew members)

UPDATE:

Despite the UH-1H being referred to as "06" within 3 Squadron, it appears that this is actually NZ3809 according to the following article:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/lo ... hed-before" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NZ3809 was involved in a non-fatal accident in the 90s but was rebuild and returned to service.

[Stratofreighter]

http://media.nzherald.co.nz/webcontent/ ... 60x230.jpg

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/artic ... 42&ref=rss

Fatal flight: Air Force didn't want hotel costs

5:30 AM Wednesday Nov 28, 2012

Report on crash that killed three airmen cites cost-cutting and lack of training.

Three airmen killed in an Anzac Day helicopter crash were on a one-hour flight in pre-dawn darkness partly because it was considered too expensive to accommodate them in a hotel the previous night,
says a leaked report.

The doomed flight on the morning of April 25, 2010, would not have taken place if the crew had flown to Wellington,
for dawn services, the day before.

Instead, the air force Iroquois helicopter, one of three flying in formation, took off from Manawatu early on Anzac Day, with the crew using night vision goggles -
something for which they were later found to have been inadequately trained.

The air force's internal accident analysis report says:
"The need to minimise accommodation costs incurred by 3 Squadron due to pressure on the accommodation budget was recognised and contributed to the ... decision (not to fly the day before)."

The emergence of hotel costs as a factor in the accident led to calls last night for Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman to resign.

"It is abhorrent that air force personnel felt under such extreme pressure to save money they were willing to compromise safety to save $600."
That figure is based on the cost of rooms for four crew members.