'He's very, very lucky to walk away': Pilot's miracle escape as helicopter crashes while putting up Christmas tree

By LEE MORAN



Crash: The helicopter pilot was lucky to walk away alive from the dramatic incident



A pilot cheated death on live TV when his helicopter crashed as he was putting up a seven-storey Christmas tree.

Television viewers in New Zealand watched in horror as the blades of Greg Gribble's helicopter became tangled in cables attached to scaffolding on Auckland's waterfront.

Dramatic footage shows the rear of the helicopter snapping, flinging Mr Gribble out of the front door of the helicopter, then slamming him back through its side door.

The aircraft then dropped 25ft to the ground.



Horror: The helicopter pilot had been helping install a seven-storey Christmas tree in Auckland, New Zealand



Helping hand: The helicopter pilot is escorted away from the crash site



Thousands watched the drama unfold on TV in New Zealand. Steve Hall witnessed the 10.30am crash from a boat moored nearby, and said the helicopter appeared to be trying to lift a tower near the drawbridge.

He said its blades clipped the connecting wire as it hovered below the tip of the tower, sending it into a spin before it crashed into the ground.

The Christmas tree, an Auckland institution, was being put up near the Te Wero Island bridge, which connects the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter.



Wiped out: The helicopter, piloted by Greg Gribble, crashed as it was helping install a seven-storey Christmas tree in Auckland's Viaduct Basin in New Zealand



The accident has left air-safety campaigners aghast, as many have wondered why a helicopter was allowed to perform such an intricate operation in such a built-up area.

Telecom, its sponsors, wrote on Twitter: 'Can confirm the helicopter that crashed was putting up our Xmas tree. We're really happy to confirm pilot and ground crew all OK.'

Gribble, a pilot with 20 years' experience, in his mid-50s, and reportedly head of commercial helicopter company Helisika, was taken to Auckland City Hospital with minor to moderate injuries.



Wreckage: The pilot miraculously escaped alive from the horrific crash



His son Jaz told stuff.co.nz: 'I spoke to him not long after and it sounded like he was okay. But he was obviously quite shaken as you can imagine.

'Someone must have been looking out for him. That's all we could have prayed for - that he's safe and happy. Someone must have been on his side.'

His daughter Jade Gribble, who is nine months pregnant with her first baby, added: 'I'd say he's very, very lucky to walk away.'











source: dailymail