A JASPERS Brush resident is concerned about the effect the airfield's vulnerability to flooding could have on aircraft safety.
Jaspers Brush Airport Action Group member Don Hodgson, who lives near the property, said while he was not qualified to comment on the cause of the accident that killed film producer Andrew Wight and American cinematographer Mike DeGruy, there had been steady rain in the week preceding the tragedy.
"The airstrip gets inundated and with a lot of rain comes a lot of mud," he said.
"One has to wonder how soft the ground was."
Mr Hodgson said there was another fatality in 1980 when a twin-engine aircraft crashed just after take-off, killing two people.
"Aircraft are at their most vulnerable on take-off or landing and we're concerned because we're under that," he said.
As police and air safety investigators prepare reports into the Jasper's Brush airfield helicopter crash, the film industry is mourning the loss of two of its highly accomplished members.
Mr Wight and Mr DeGruy were about to film a sequence over Jervis Bay for a documentary being made by acclaimed director James Cameron when their Robinson R44 helicopter crashed and burst into flames on take-off.
Mr Cameron was at the crash site shortly after the tragedy occurred.
According to Shoalhaven City Councillor Dave Bennett, who was only metres from the accident just before 4pm on Saturday, the tail rotor of the small helicopter appeared to hit the ground, causing the aircraft to crash and burst into flames.
“It was no more than 15 to 20 seconds from that happening and the people on board being incinerated,” he said.
“It was pretty instant.”
Cr Bennett said the pair had been waiting for an hour before the crash to take off for Jervis Bay, where it is understood they were going to film the marine research vessel Mermaid Sapphire, which was in the bay at the time.
Anthony Bowie, who owns the airstrip at Jaspers Brush and spoke to witnesses on the day, said the accident was all over within seconds.
“The helicopter got about two to three feet off the ground. It started initiating a left hand turn when there was a loud bang.
“The helicopter reared nose up and slammed its tail into the ground. Part of the tail assembly broke off and the fuel line was ruptured. It tilted forward at some speed and dipped to the right.”
He said people on the ground ran to help but the intense heat kept them from coming close to the wreckage.
Mr Wight, 51, had just joined Mr Cameron’s 3D production company Cameron Pace, which had just opened an office in Melbourne, the first outside the US. Mr Wight was a keen helicopter pilot, diver and explorer.
He was also involved in the 3D technology used in the film Avatar, directed by Mr Cameron.
Known for his documentary filmmaking, Mr DeGruy, 60, worked with organisations including the BBC, PBS, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.
The winner of numerous awards, he was also involved in several ground-breaking nature series such as Blue Planet and David Attenborough’s The Trials of Life.
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