Pilot Charged - Camera Recovered - Powerline Ids - Lisa Blackie Inqury - Man Attacked - Oil Prices
PILOT CHARGED: Five years after an Ansett Dash-8 crashed near Palmerston North killing four passengers police have
charged the pilot with four counts of manslaughter. Police were initially prevented to listen to the black box
recordings which showed the pilot and co-pilot were preoccupied with landing gear jamming. This is believed to be the
first time a commercial pilot has been charged.
CAMERA RECOVERED: A video camera recovered from a helicopter crash in Fiordland that killed five people could have vital
clues to the cause of the accident. Witnesses on the scene saw the helicopter entangle itself in overhead wires, however
the cause of the accident is not yet clear. Police and Conservation staff have today tried to reach relatives of the
American tourists.
POWERLINE IDS: The accident has re-opened a years old debate – should overhead wires be marked to ensure that
air-crashes don’t happen. Two crashes in the past ten years resulting in deatb have been caused by power lines.
LISA BLACKIE INQURY: A burger chain in the South Island – McDonalds - are joining Police in the inquiry into the killing
of Lissa Blakie – with all McDonalds staff agreeing to be finger printed in the area.
MAN ATTACKED: Police believe a man responsible for a brutal attack on an Auckland waiter early morning was linked to an
earlier attack and are appealing for public help. The waiter is in a coma and has permanent brain damage. Police are now
treating the inquiry as a homicide.
OIL PRICES: Relief is in sight for motorists after OPEC meetings in Vienna where members agreed to increase oil
production, a ,move which will lead to prices falling. However the lag between lower international prices and cheaper
petrol at home is likely to be long as oil companies take advantage of the price differences.