The Civil Aviation Department said Tuesday it has retrieved the black box and the sound recorder from the Government Flying Service (GFS) helicopter, which made a controlled emergency landing in the Shing Mun reservoir due to mechanical failure Monday.

The Super Puma AS332 L2 helicopter was lifting water from the reservoir to fight a nearby hill fire. The blaze, which started around 7 am Monday near a radar station on Tai Mo Shan, was about one kilometer from the reservoir. The pilot was forced to ditch in the reservoir when he discovered that its number-two engine had a malfunction at 10:30 am. The helicopter landed not far from the shore and was kept afloat by inflatable pads.

The three crew members exited the helicopter uninjured and were then sent to Yan Chai Hospital for medical check-ups. The GFS's two other helicopters of the same model have also been grounded while investigations continue. The French-made helicopter was last repaired in September.

Officials ruled out tiredness as a cause of the accident as helicopter had been operating for less than an hour.

Director-General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo Shung-man said Tuesday the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) is in discussion with the GFS as well as the French manufacturer, Eurocopter, to work out the feasibility of building a stable platform to let staff dismantle the main components. The GFS has deployed more than 10 members to carry out on-site investigation.

"We will study carefully what kind of crane can get to the dam and take into account its size, strength and elasticity," Lo said. He did not say exactly how long the process would take.

A representative from the French manufacturer Eurocopter arrived last night to examine the fleet. "After copying data from the black box and the sound recorder, we will be able to know what went wrong in the number-two engine," Lo said.

Lo said Monday that the CAD has formed a five-member accident investigation team to probe the incident. A preliminary report is due in a month.

The chopper had flown 5,650 hours since it began service in 2001. It was the first incident involving this type of helicopter in Hong Kong.

As the fuel in the helicopter contains hazardous chemicals such as benzene and hydrazine, there have been fears about its effects on the reservoir's water quality. However, the Water Supplies Department had placed floats to cordon off the helicopter and guard against any potential oil spill. It had also taken samples of the water for testing and they confirmed that there have been no signs of contamination.

Since its establishment in 1993, the GFS has seldom had an accident. The last one happened in August 2003 when a Eurocopter EC155 B1 helicopter smashed into a Lantau Island hillside, killing its pilot and a crew member.

China Daily

(HK Edition 12/29/2010 page1)