Venkat Raman
The Fijian government has appointed Auckland based Prosolve Limited Director Andrew McGregor to probe into a helicopter accident that killed a passenger in Savusavu.
He arrived in Fiji on Monday, August 5, 2019 and took charge as Investigator-in-Charge of the Robinson R44, (DQ-HPT) accident which occurred on Friday, August 2, 2019.
Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum described Mr McGregor as a ‘reliable and experienced aircraft accident investigator with a solid track record of work in Fiji.
Search and Rescue
“We look forward to working closely with him to uncover how and why this crash occurred. We will keep the public regularly updated on the progress of that investigation as well as the ongoing search and rescue effort,” he said.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said that there was at least one fatality of a passenger aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash.
“Our search and rescue teams are working overtime to locate the other missing passenger and the pilot. On behalf of the Department of Civil Aviation and the Fijian people, we extend our deepest sympathies to all of the victim’s families at this unimaginably difficult time. Investigations into the root cause of this tragedy are already underway and we have engaged Andrew McGregor to lead that ongoing investigation,” he said.
About Andrew McGregor
Prosolve Limited specialises in forensic engineering and air accident investigation.
Andrew McGregor has extensive experience investigating aircraft accidents in Fiji. He recently carried out the investigation into the crash of a Cessna 172R aircraft (DQ-FTR) in Fiji which identified inclement weather as a likely cause of the accident.
In 2006, he investigated the crash of a Robinson R44 helicopter that crashed into the sea West of Vuda point near Nadi due to dis-bonding of one of the main rotor blades.
As a result of his investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States issued five recommendations to the manufacturer of Robinson helicopters and the Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) to improve the design and manufacturing processes of future R44 main rotor blades.
Following this accident, the manufacturer changed the design of the main rotor blades for the R44 helicopter.
*
Photo Caption:
Andrew McGregor (Picture from Prosolve Limited Website)
