Helicopter Lands Safely, But Aircraft Crashes In Outback

A nighttime midair collision involving a Robinson R-44 helicopter and a Piper aircraft left two persons alive with no apparent injuries, but two others were killed in the crash over Western Australia.

The Melbourne Herald-Sun reports the aircraft collided Wednesday night during a Departments of Environment and Agriculture hunt to cull wild goats in the Kennedy Range National Park. The helicopter was apparently able to make a safe emergency landing, but the Piper, carrying two persons onboard, crashed in the Gascoyne region of the Australian Outback.

The survivors on the helicopter radioed police in Carnavon, about 90 miles to the west, just before 2000 local time. They were picked up by a rescue helicopter Thursday morning.

"The search and rescue helicopter that went to the scene is now taking the two survivors back," said Australian Search and Rescue (AusSAR) spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins.
"My understanding is that that they are not injured so they won't need medical care."

Jiggins confirmed the two fatalities were onboard the fixed-wing plane. "It has now become an accident scene and we have handed co-ordination over to police."

FMI: http://www.amsa.gov.au/search_and_rescue/