Hurt pilot 'worse'
The helicopter pilot whose life was saved by his dying companion after a crash in Fiordland 10 days ago is now seriously ill in the intensivecare unit at Christchurch Hospital. The pilot, Robert David Richardson, aged 38, of Te Anau, was transferred io Christchurch Hospital last Friday from the spinal unit at Burwood Hospital. A hospital spokesman last evening described his condition as serious.
At Burwood hospital the injured man had been reported to be in a comfortable condition.
The police said that Mr Richardson owed his life to Alan MacDonald, aged 25. a professional hunter, who died six hours after the helicopter had crashed in thick bush on the banks of the Arthur River. Before he died Mr MacDonald wrapped Mr Richardson in survival blankets, made him comfortable, and triggered an emergency locator beacon. It was two days before a searching helicopter picked up Mr Richardson and the body of his companion.
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Press, 22 August 1979, Page 6
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156Hurt pilot 'worse' Press, 22 August 1979, Page 6
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