Robinson R22 Went Down In Lake Wanaka Last November

The fatal crash of a helicopter pilot as he flew over New Zealand's Lake Wanaka has been linked to the possibility that he may have been texting with a cell phone, providing a distraction that led to the crash.

The New Zealand Herald reports that Morgan Saxton, 31, was flying his newly rebuilt Robinson R22 last November 1, following his father in another helicopter across the lake toward Wanaka Airport. When he failed to arrive at his destination, the senior Saxton became concerned and a search was initiated.

Saxton's friend, Jonathon Wallis, confirmed that Saxton texted him at about 6:20 pm, the same time Saxton would have been flying over the lake. But since no one saw the helo go down, the exact time of the crash is unknown.

Wallis' brother, Toby, said Saxton was an experienced pilot. "It's so bizarre and tragic. There's no way he would have been playing around." Toby said that the practice of texting while flying is not uncommon, and was something he himself has done.

"We might get a text telling us about another flight and so we might send a quick text back. It's no different to changing the radio station in a car, but it could be dangerous if you are distracted by it," he said.

Friend Kerry Eggeling helped in the search and rescue efforts after the crash, and said he heard Saxton had been texting during his flight. "He did send some texts to his friend when he was flying. I don't know if it's a dangerous thing to do, but no one knows how high Morgan was flying. If he was flying quite low I suppose it's possible he might not have been watching and could have been distracted."

Transport Accident Investigation Commission deputy chief investigator Ken Mathews said, "We are looking at every aspect of the flight," but was not yet able to ascertain if texting had been a factor in the crash.

Helipro Scenic and Charter Flights operations manager Tim Barrow said, "In certain phases of flight, texting would be a silly thing to do. In critical phases of flight you wouldn't dream of it."

Steve Couchman, an Auckland-based rescue helicopter pilot said, "Most of us carry mobiles, but I don't answer mine when I'm flying. In my opinion nothing is important enough to be using your phone during a flight."

FMI: www.taic.org.nz