Helicopter Found Eight Years Later After Crash In New Zealand

Wellington, New Zealand – Helicopter found eight years later after crash in New Zealand in a remote part of the country. On Wednesday the wreckage was spotted by another helicopter pilot located in rugged terrain at the edge of the original search area. The helicopter that went missing in New Zealand eight years ago was carrying a local pilot and a British backpacking tourist.

Helicopter crashes have been making the news a lot lately. Last week two police helicopters collided in mid-air, injuring six police officers. Paul McCartney and his wife narrowly avoided a crash. Many people died at the beginning of November in both Turkey and Atlanta when their helicopters crashed.

According to the Associated Press, New Zealand police on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, “confirmed that a helicopter found in Fiordland was the Hughes 500 that went missing in 2004 carrying 27-year-old pilot Campbell Montgomerie and 28-year-old tourist Hannah Timings.” Back in 2004, an extensive two-week search at the time didn’t turn up any sign of the missing craft within the rugged countryside of New Zealand.

Police on Thursday recovered two bodies. DNA samples should allow the police to formally identify the victims of the helicopter crash. Police have notified the families, saying they hope the discovery brings some closure after eight years of not knowing what happened.

A helicopter found eight years later with today’s modern technology sounds incredulous. The rugged terrain of New Zealand is featured in many movies nowadays due its untouched wilderness. Famous examples include the movies based upon J.R.R. Tolkien book series, The Lord of the Rings. Further filming has been taking place with the new series based upon The Hobbit. So if you watch those movies you can see how something as large as a helicopter might be lost for eight years in the New Zealand outback.