Tragic last words from one of two helicopter pilots killed in a horror mid-air collision
The last words of a helicopter pilot who died after a mid-air collision with another man piloting a helicopter have been revealed as the investigation into the crash continues.
Peter Ritter, 29, and Gavin U’Ren, 30, piloted their Robinson R22 helicopters during an aerial collection operation in Western Australia’s Kimberley region on July 25.
The two men were working for Broome-based Pearl Coast Helicopters over Mount Anderson Station before crashing in mid-air at a height of about 100 feet.
Both pilots tragically died in the crash.
Two other pilots who survived the incident had left with the pair at about 5:15 a.m. that morning after a muster briefing.
The other two pilots were expected to follow Mr Ritter and Mr U’Ren to the assembly point, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) report released on Friday.
The surviving pilots said they saw Mr. Ritter and Mr. U’Ren flying together but “noticed no danger of collision.”
They contacted the two pilots by radio, to which one of them replied, “Yes, see you there,” just before the crash.
Helicopter crash victim, Gavin U’ren. He was killed in the collision on July 25
Victim of helicopter crash Peter Ritter. He and Mr U’Ren were conducting an aerial collection operation at the time of the crash
One of the surviving pilots also told the ATSB that he was forced to maneuver his helicopter to avoid being hit by one of the falling helicopters.
‘An examination of the wreckage revealed damage to the right side of one helicopter consistent with a rotor blade strike from the other, while there was no evidence of in-flight rupture or any loss of flight continuity prior to impact,’ ATSB- Director of Transport Safety Dr. Stuart Godley said.
Dr. Godley said the investigation is still ongoing and will include further investigation and analysis of evidence collected.
Both Mr. Ritter and Mr. U’Ren were experienced pilots and had no medical restrictions on flying.
All four helicopters involved in the collection operation used the same fuel without any problems.
The cause of the fatal collision has yet to be determined. The final report is expected to be presented early next year.
The location of the crash site near Mount Anderson Station in Camballin, WA is shown
Pearl Coast Helicopters released a statement about the tragedy at the time.
“Pearl Coast Helicopters is deeply saddened to report the tragic loss of two of our valued and highly experienced pilots in a helicopter accident at Mount Anderson Station earlier today,” the company said.
“The accident is devastating and we extend our condolences to the family and friends of the pilots involved, as well as to our team, who are deeply affected by this loss.”
Just weeks before the tragedy, Mr U’Ren spoke about his love of helicopters in an interview with Farm Weekly.
“Watching them work and getting to ride in the helicopters every now and then made me realize that this was what I wanted to do,” Mr U’Ren said.
“Becoming fathers with some pilots, seeing the life they live, moving around and seeing some pretty cool scenery, just solidified it.”
The pilots took off on a staging mission over WA’s Kimberley region just after 6am on July 25
