A ROUTINE training exercise turned into a heart-stopping ordeal.
This after a seven-seater helicopter crashed to the ground in Kromvlei, outside Alberton in Ekurhuleni on Tuesday, 3 February.
The aircraft went down during a training session, leaving a flight instructor injured and rushed to the hospital, while the pilot miraculously escaped without a scratch.
City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) spokesman William Ntladi said the Life-Threatening Emergency Call Centre received the distress call at exactly 1.59pm and immediately mobilised emergency teams.
"Two fire engines from different City of Ekurhuleni fire stations, supported by 11 firefighters, were swiftly dispatched to the scene," said Ntladi.
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When emergency crews arrived, they were met with a chilling sight. A Bell 230 twin-engine helicopter was lying on its side.
"The flight instructor sustained shoulder injuries and minor upper-body lacerations, while the pilot escaped unharmed," Ntladi confirmed.
The injured instructor was stabilised on scene before being transported by a private ambulance to a nearby hospital for further medical treatment.
According to information gathered at the crash site, the two occupants were conducting a training flight moments before the helicopter came down.
Ntladi said the aviation authorities have since been called to the scene and are expected to launch a full investigation to determine what caused the dramatic crash.
