A Royal New Zealand Air Force Iroquois helicopter leaves for Ohakea Air Base beneath the site of the accident of an Iroquois helicopter after it crashed into the hills of Pukerua Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. (Getty Images/Getty Images)MOREHIDE
A Royal New Zealand Air Force Iroquois helicopter leaves for Ohakea Air Base beneath the site of the accident of an Iroquois helicopter after it crashed into the hills of Pukerua Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. (Getty Images/Getty Images)Just before dawn Sunday morning, a military helicopter crashed into a ravine on a fog covered hillside near Pukerua Bay, in west-central New Zealand killing three Royal New Zealand Air Force servicemen.
A fourth escaped the crashed and is in stable condition according to the New Zealand Herald. The Iroquois helicopter was flying in formation with two others, heading to the capital Wellington for ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day ceremonies.
After the crash, a crewman from one of the other Iroquois exited his copter and ran over a mile on steep rocky terrain to the crash site. Authorities are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
ANZAC Day commemorates those who died on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey during World War I and others who lost their lives in service to their countries.
