A helicopter carrying tourists on a scenic flight over the Bukit Peninsula in Bali crashed near Suluban Beach on Friday afternoon.
Shocking footage shows the helicopter lodged between the cliffs close to Suluban Beach and the pilot and four passengers scrambling to free themselves from the wreckage.
The incident took place on Friday afternoon, and the rescue efforts have been confirmed by the Head of Pecatu Traditional Village, I Made Sumerta, who told reporters, “Yes, a helicopter crashed in our area, but all the victims survived, and there were no victims from local residents.”
Speaking separately, Kadek Alit Juwita, Head of the Trantib Section of South Kuta District, explained that a helicopter had an ‘accident’ and fell on a resident’s private land in Pecatu Village, close to Suluban Beach, at 15.00 WITA.
According to reports emerging from the scene, the four passengers are tourists to the island who took the scenic flight to get a birdseye view of potential investment properties.
Juwita told reporters, “It is said that investors want to see the land and land on residents’ land. We don’t know why [this happened], whether it was flying low or entangled in the kite string. There were no fatalities, and the injured victims, including the pilot and residents, had helped.”
Footage from the scene shows the helicopter crumpled between the limestone cliffs, with the rotor snapped off the main cabin and what appears to be kite strings wrapped about the blade.
From data shared by the Airport Authority Office (Otban) Region IV compiled by the Bali-based newspaper NusaBali, the short flight that was scheduled to depart from GWK Cultural Park experienced an issue and was forced to make an emergency landing.
Head of the Airport Authority Office (Otban) Region IV, Agustinus Budi Hartono, confirmed the incident. He said, “The Bell505 helicopter with ID PKWSP made an emergency landing on a flight from GWK to Uluwatu. All passengers are safe and have been taken to hospital for further examination.”
Hartono told reporters, “I don’t know the exact cause yet…The team from Otban just arrived at the location today.”
An investigation will now take place to establish exactly what happened in the moments leading up to the emergency landing and crash. The Bali Search and Rescue teams are now at the scene.
Just yesterday, the Airport Authority Office authorities held a coffee morning to discuss the theme ‘Aviation Safety’ regarding the dangers of kites.
This is kite season in Bali, with the annual Kite Festival set to take place in Sanur this weekend. The kite season is of huge cultural importance to Balinese people and communities across Indonesia, though the high flying kites have been known to pose a threat to low flying aircraft and drones.
The helicopter involved in the crash is believed to be operated by Bali HeliTour, a company that operates helicopter tours over Bali’s most famous landscapes and even offers a private charter jet service. Bali HeliTour are yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.
This week, a series of safety concerns were raised at Bali’s most popular travel hotspots. Earlier this week, top officials in Nusa Penida confirmed they have closed down an illegal operating zipline attraction at Diamond Beach.
The business closure only came, however, after a child got stuck halfway along the zipline and was left dangling 100m over the ocean. The youngster eventually got themselves to safety by manually rolling the mechanism down the zip line cable.
A teenager from China remains in critical condition in a hospital after falling along the Kelingking Beach coastal path earlier this week.
Despite warnings from their guide and driver, the tourist family decided to attempt the treacherous coastal path when 17-year-old XR fell and sustained suspected head, neck, and spinal injuries.
All of these incidents have Bali lovers calling for greater consideration for safety and for the authorities to enforce safety policies more strictly across the board.
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Shorty
Monday 22nd of July 2024
It seems neither the pilot or the kite flyer were at fault. Both were operating within existing regulations.
The regs are based on the distance from Ngurah Rai coupled with ceiling heights.
This needs and should be changed.
The main parameter should be a definition of landing and approach corridors with no arial activity allowed without air traffic control clearance.
Recreational activities such as kite or drones banned.
Yes Sanur has historically hosted a kite festival. There's no reason why this shouldn't be continued at an alternative location.
Exp
Tuesday 23rd of July 2024
@Shorty, "Both were operating within existing regulations."
Not true. Helicopter was at 1000 ft when pilot spotted kite above. As location appears to be between 9 and 18km from airport; max allowable height for kite is 300 ft. Just check link to Radar Bali in my prev. post.
Kite flying in southern Bali (Sanur and further south) is to a large degree in breach of laws and regulation. Bali gov. need to start enforcing their own regulation to safeguard airport operations.
Wayan Bo
Saturday 20th of July 2024
It’s not the first time, already in 1980’s helicopter flying actor Mr Richard Gere had serious problems and he was lucky to survive. Otherwise many great movies wouldn’t be done.
Firechef
Saturday 20th of July 2024
Everybody knows that it's kite season now and dangerous for low flying aircraft. Everybody except the professionals who put money ahead of safety. I hope the copter is unrepairable to teach them a lesson. Oh yeah, I'm sure it was Russians looking for investment property, hope they got a good scare!
Shorty
Monday 22nd of July 2024
@Firechef,
Drop your preconceived Russian bull****. It was a local pilot with RI and Australian passenger. Did you bother to check before posting?
Randy
Sunday 21st of July 2024
@Firechef, the Passengers according to US news are Australian and Indonesian nationals. NO Russians. They would have used a similar type Mi...if existed in Indonesia
Exp
Friday 19th of July 2024
The helicopter (Bali Helitour) appears owned by Raffi Farid Ahmad, an Indonesian "celebrity". His name is also mentioned in IG video in the article.
Sounds like that operation is in the best hands.
Me on the other hand, would never fly helicopter in Indonesia for obvious reasons. In US it is 60 times higher risk for accident with a helicopter than an airline.
Exp
Tuesday 23rd of July 2024
@Shorty, My claim remain: Transport is the no one killer for offshore workers. This I have also seen from Qualitative Risk Assessments I have signed off.
One example:
"Getting to work is the most dangerous aspect of an offshore worker’s job. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that transportation accidents claimed the most offshore worker lives between 2003 and 2010."
LINK The above ref. to top of the line helicopter operations, while in Bali tourists are taken out with helicopter apparently owned by local "artist".
Shorty
Monday 22nd of July 2024
@Exp,
My son is a commercial diver who has and occasionally works offshore on oil rigs.
Stop making a dick of yourself and talking thru your arse.
J West
Monday 22nd of July 2024
@Exp, Working an offshore rig you have few alternate options for crew change other than helo. It’s location and weather dependent.
Shorty
Monday 22nd of July 2024
@J West,
How does maintenance hours have any connection with getting tangled with a kite string?
There is no evidence to show flying Navy or Coast Guard is any safer.
Exp
Sunday 21st of July 2024
@Randy, You state "In general the Indonesian transportation safety across the board has improved in the last 10 years."
If that was the case. Why is the Mertasari kite festival allowed to go ahead year after year despite there is a clear ban flying kites within 9 km of Ngurah Rai airport? (Mertasari beach is located 8.5km from Ngurah Rai end of runway.)
And the large kites at Mertasari are flying really high up -- and at the same time I can see commercial airlines climbing above making a turn towards west.
For me it appears that those in charge of aviation safety in and around Bali airport need a wake up call before a more serious outcome incident take place. Start enforcing their own regulation as a start.
See article (pasal) 2 in the attached regulation:
"Dilarang menaikkan layang-layang dan permainan sejenis di wilayah dalam radius 5 mil laut/9 kilometer dari Bandar Udara."
LINK LINK