An Australian has told of the miraculous moment he and four others survived a horrific helicopter crash in Bali’s South Kuta region on his birthday.
Outside the hospital Saturday, Russell Harris recounted the moment the Bell Jet Model 5055 helicopter crashed into the cliffs near Pecatu 24 hours earlier.
“We will probably see a kite after three to four minutes, a little too late,” he told 9 News outside a Balinese hospital.
There were five people on board when the vehicle crashed: Mr Harris, his partner, another friend from Perth, along with two Indonesian residents and the pilot.
The flight was organised in honour of Mr Harris’s 46th birthday.
After the kite’s rope became entangled around the helicopter’s main rotor, the helicopter crashed into a residential area near the ocean.
All five occupants were treated and three of them were taken to Siloam Hospital with serious injuries.
“We dropped 100 to 150 feet very quickly,” Harris said.
Russell Harris worked in the mining industry in Western Australia before recently moving to Bali. He survived the helicopter crash in the South Kuta area of the island, along with others on board.
The Bell Jet Model 5055 helicopter crashed into the cliffs at Pecatu after the helicopter blades became entangled in the kite’s ropes
He described the moment the craft fell from the sky and landed upside down on the cliff.
“Trees first… I remember that,” said Mr. Harris.
‘Then we hit a cliff and ended up upside down.’
According to Indonesian search and rescue agency Basarnas, the helicopter took off from Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) for a sightseeing flight over the island starting at 2.33pm local time.
Basarnas reported that the helicopter crashed a few minutes later, at 2:37 p.m.
Mr Harris said he was grateful the pilot had regained control of the aircraft after coming into contact with the kite. He told Nine News that if the crash had occurred at an altitude of 200 to 300 metres, he and the others would not have been alive.
“It’s very scary of course, it’s the first time I’ve been in a helicopter,” he said.
‘Today was my birthday, that’s what it was for.’
Mr Harris and his partner were both on board and after the trip for his birthday
Mr. Harris said he remembered hitting trees and a cliff before the helicopter ended up upside down. No one was killed and three people, including Mr. Harris, were taken to hospital
Local security authorities are investigating the crash that occurred during a Balinese kite-flying festival (pictured: kite string wrapped around the rotor)
The Indonesian Ministry of Transport said in a statement: “The Directorate General of Civil Aviation Ditjen Hubud has received a report on the accident involving the helicopter PK-WSP type Bell 505 of PT. Whitesky Aviation.”
‘Initial information is that all passengers survived the accident.
‘At present, aviation inspectors from the Region IV Airport Authority Office are on their way to the crash site. PT. Whitesky Aviation has also sent an investigation team to the accident scene.
‘The Ministry of Transport, through the Directorate General for Communications, will provide more intensive information and monitoring on the dangers of pilots.’