The chopper was coming in to land when its blades caught in overhead cables sending it flying out of control, its tail end breaking off in the process. Nearby workers were sent scurrying for cover as the chopper flipped over sending the blades crashing into the ground.
Not only was the accident captured on video, but footage of the crash was broadcast live on TV New Zealand’s website.
Despite being shown to have been thrown around the cockpit of the chopper, the experienced pilot, named as Greg Gribble in local media, was left unhurt by the accident.
He was helped from the wreckage by two co-workers and taken to hospital as a precautionary measure for monitoring but was later released.
Gribble had been hired by Telecom Corp to help put up a 26-metre tall fibre optic Christmas tree on the Auckland waterfront. “We’re really happy to confirm pilot and ground crew are all OK,” the company said on its Twiter feed.
