Prime Minister John Key is due to return to New Zealand today ahead of funerals for the three men killed in the tragic Anzac Day helicopter crash.Mr Key had been in Turkey to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings but cut short his vis
Prime Minister John Key is due to return to New Zealand today ahead of funerals for the three men killed in the tragic Anzac Day helicopter crash.
Mr Key had been in Turkey to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings but cut short his visit after hearing of the crash, in which Flight Lieutenant Hayden Peter Madsen, 33, Flying Officer Daniel Stephen Gregory, 28, and Corporal Benjamin Andrew, 25, died.
The men were killed when their air force Iroquois hit a hill at Pukerua Bay, about 40km north of Wellington, as it headed from Ohakea air base for an Anzac Day dawn flypast in Wellington.
Sergeant Stevin Iain Creeggan survived but was badly hurt and underwent surgery. He was in a stable condition at Wellington Hospital yesterday with his parents and partner at his bedside.
Mr Key said he was "shocked and saddened by this tragic event."
"My thoughts are with the families of the victims, the family of the injured man, and the entire New Zealand Defence Force," he said in statement from Gallipoli.
Air force chief Air Vice-Marshal Graham Lintott said yesterday that details of the funerals were not yet available, although the families had met to discuss arrangements.
"As far as we're concerned, it's for the families to choose the form of the funerals, where they are and when they are. And we'll just give every support we possibly can," AVM Lintott said.
An investigation into the crash was ongoing and could take some time, he said.
Investigators would photograph the site and map it out before the wreckage was flown out, possibly by another Iroquois.
The crash site would then be recreated back at Ohakea for more analysis, AVM Lintott said.
Media attention on the age of the helicopter was a "red herring" and the air force had full confidence in its airworthiness, he said.
The air force acquired its first Iroquois in 1966.
"Every three or four years they have a major depot-level servicing, and during their life, all of the components will have been replaced several times," AVM Lintott said.
Yesterday's crash was the fifth by an Iroquois since they were first introduced in 1966. AVM Lintott did not know if the Iroquois that crashed yesterday had crashed previously.
"But if it's been crashed and repaired, it's like a brand new aircraft anyway. So that wouldn't be a factor."
The deceased's commanding officer, Wing Commander Russell Mardon, yesterday said the men were "fantastic individuals, each and every one of them".
"I consider them not only colleagues or members of the squadron but also friends," he told Campbell Live.
The men had "died doing what they loved", Wg Cdr Mardon said.
"We're proud of the boys, and we're very proud of the unit."
The No 3 Squadron was "very much in a state of shock."
"Those friendships and links go all across the squadron. The culture and the camaraderie that we have is something special, and it's what we're relying on right now to get through this," Wg Cdr Mardon said.
