Investigators return to scene of deadly helicopter crash as questions remain over Hong Kong pilot’s final moments
- Witnesses give contradictory statements as to what happened as 130 police officers scour crash site for clues
- Aircraft is believed to have been a Robinson R44 that was owned by Hong Kong Aviation Club
More than 100 police officers and aviation investigators returned to the scene of a fatal helicopter crash in the New Territories on Monday, still searching for answers as to what might have caused the accident.
Around 130 officers arrived at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Pat Heung, where the aircraft went down, to collect wreckage and the remains of the dead pilot, 49-year-old married father of three Andrew Wong Fai-hung, a lawyer with Leung Pansy Tang & Chua Solicitors.
Also at the scene were members of the Air Accident Investigation Authority. The conservation and education centre remained closed.
“We have to finish the investigation at the scene before moving the entire wreckage away. It is too early to establish the cause of accident at the moment,” a police source said.
Witnesses earlier reported hearing explosions and seeing the four-seater aircraft breaking apart in mid-air moments before it crashed into a slope. The source said officers had taken contradictory statements from several witnesses.
“Some said the chopper had already disintegrated before the crash, but other witnesses said otherwise,” the source said.
Helicopter crashes at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, killing 49-year-old pilot
The Post understands the helicopter involved, a Robinson R44, was owned by the Hong Kong Aviation Club, which has yet to respond to requests for comment. Air accident investigators would only confirm that an investigation was under way.
The accident happened at around 5.30pm on Sunday, when the helicopter crashed into a hillside behind the farm’s general administration building, around 45 minutes after taking off from Shek Kong Airfield. The airfield houses units of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, as well as being open for civilian use at the weekend.
The wreckage covered an area stretching 100 metres, and Wong’s body was found about 20 metres from the helicopter’s cockpit.
