The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into a dam on Queensland’s Scenic Rim on Wednesday says he almost didn’t escape.
Key points:
- Grant Schultz says he was running out of air as the helicopter was sinking
- He escaped the crash almost uninjured except a scratch on his face
- The Bureau of Meteorology says temperatures were 10 degrees above average across the state on Thursday
Grant Schultz was collecting water from a dam to fight a fire at Tregony, near Cunningham’s Gap when the aircraft ditched into the water.
He said the helicopter rolled upside down “pretty quickly” and the cabin started to fill with water.
“I undid my seatbelt…removed my helmet, tried to open the driver’s door, and couldn’t get it open,” Mr Schultz said.
“At that point there was only about four inches of air left at the top.”
He unsuccessfully tried kicking a rear door, before managing to pry it open.
“I took a breath…yanked on the handle a few times, it twisted, and I swam to what I thought was up,” he said.
He was taken to Toowoomba Base Hospital, but released with minor injuries.
He credited his regular helicopter underwater escape training (HUET) for his survival.
“It was kind of surreal, I was in the middle of a dam leaning onto the tail of a helicopter, looking at the people on the top of the hill,” Mr Schultz said.
“I’ve got a scratch on my left hand and a bit of scratch on my eye, and feel like I’ve played about 10 games of football
“But I’m feeling very lucky.”
’10 degrees above average’
More than 30 fires are burning across the state from Cosgrove near Townsville to Severn Hill near the New South Wales Border.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services has advice level warnings across nine locations currently impacted by smoke.
Residents are urged to stay indoors, watch out for firefighters working in the area and to monitor the QFES website for details.
BOM’s Harry Clark said Thursday was the warmest September day in Queensland since 2017.
“Temperatures are up to 10 degrees above average for September,” Mr Clark said.
He said the temperature in Coolangatta broke a 38-year record.
“Thirty-three degrees was the old record … we’ll have to wait for this afternoon [because] it’s still rising,” he said.
He said this week’s warmer days were an anomaly and a south-easterly change will soon see temperatures settle back into typical September figures.
“Max temperatures on Friday are up to 10 degrees colder than on Thursday, so a really significant drop,” he said.
“There’s no sign in the immediate future of another spike in temperatures.”
BOM expects regular temperatures to return before the weekend for those living on the coast, while inland residents are predicted to face high temperatures until early next week.
“In north-western Queensland we’re continuing to see quite hot temperatures, around 37 and 38 degrees [which is] eight degrees or so above average” he said.