Australian news team feared dead in ABC helicopter crash

Helicopter carrying pilot, reporter and cameraman crashes near Lake Eyre in the outback, with no survivors Three members of an Australian television news team are feared dead after a helicopter crash in southern Australia. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said three staff – veteran journalist Paul Lockyer, cameraman John Bean and pilot Gary Ticehurst – were in the aircraft, which crashed on Thursday in a remote part of South Australia state. Lockyer, Bean and Ticehurst were working on a story about Lake Eyre, a massive lake in the outback, the ABC said. South Australia police said three people were killed in the accident and said they were investigating the cause. A tour guide who spoke to the men before they took off saw a large fireball in the distance soon after the helicopter departed, said police assistant commissioner Neil Smith. The crash site was surrounded by water and boggy land, hampering access, Smith said. Its remoteness was also making it difficult to get in touch with investigators on the scene. “We are not expecting to have any positive news, any positive identification or the full extent of the detail for some time,” Smith said. Lockyer was an award-winning journalist whose career spanned more than 40 years and included assignments in Washington and Asia. Ticehurst, a well-known media pilot, had worked for the ABC for more than 25 years. Bean, a Brisbane-based cameraman, had worked throughout Australia, the Pacific and in Washington in a 20-year career at the broadcaster. The ABC’s managing director, Mark Scott said: “This has been the longest of nights and we fear it will be the saddest of days.” Australia Journalist safety TV news Television industry guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 19, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.