Helicopters are an ”extremely safe way to travel”, the operators of charter services maintained, as the industry prepared for its biggest day of the year in the wake of a dramatic crash and narrow escape on Saturday evening.
A helicopter carrying only its pilot, a 45-year-old woman from Mornington, crashed in an oval opposite Hisense Arena near the city. She has since been identified as Emma Bobridge, and was released from The Alfred hospital overnight.
Police said it was fortunate that the incident had happened at a time when the area was relatively unpopulated. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau yesterday launched an inquiry into the crash.
Brett Newman, the chief executive of Professional Helicopter Services, a charter service operating from Moorabbin Airport, said using helicopters to arrive at the races had been ”happening for over 25 years”.
”We ran the Melbourne Cup operation for 15 years, and it’s a safe and exciting way to go to the races,” he told Fairfax Media.
But operators acknowledge the number of commercial helicopter flights has increased in recent years – the Victoria Racing Club says about 60 a day were made to Flemington alone during the four-day carnival last year.
Mr Newman said hundreds of helicopters flew around highly populated areas every year without problems. Paramedics found the machine lying on its side among debris strewn across the oval.
The pilot sustained a grazed thumb in the incident.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman Tony Simes said ATSB investigators arrived at the scene on Sunday morning to examine the wreckage and talk to witnesses.
Victoria Police spokeswoman Creina O’Grady said the helicopter had been ”ferrying people in and out of the race track all day from that location”.
The company contracted to fly people to the races is Heli-Serv. It did not return calls from Fairfax Media.
