Helicopter crash - Fiji - Curt Lewis

Seven people escape after helicopter crash on Treasure Island, Fiji Seven passengers were lucky to escape with their lives as a helicopter crashed in Fiji. A Eurocopter crashed as it attempted to land on Treasure Island, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported. It was apparently caught by a strong gust of wind. The Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) said there were seven people on board at the time, including the pilot, but there were no fatalities. It is not clear what if any injuries were sustained by those involved, but witnesses suggested that all on board walked away from the scene. Photographs show the craft was severely damaged. Witness Bob Carroll posted on Facebook, that a gust of wind sent the Eurocopter, owned by Island Hoppers Limited, into a tree on Wednesday evening (NZ time). "A beautiful day trip to Treasure Island changed dramatically as an inbound helicopter attempting to land on the Treasure Island helipad only 50m from where we were dining caught a wind gust that sent it into a tree and then crashing into another tree right next to the pool... scary but thank God all got out of the chopper and we are all OK," he said. Fiji Broadcasting Corporation said that, after a preliminary assessment, CAAF classified the crash as an accident. The Attorney General and Minister for Civil Aviation, Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, appointed Captain Norman Walding to be the Accident Investigator, which is regular procedure in such cases.