Pilot says he escaped serious injury by jumping into the ocean when a New Zealand volcano erupted – IOTW Report

Pilot says he escaped serious injury by jumping into the ocean when a New Zealand volcano erupted

ABC: CANBERRA, Australia — A helicopter pilot said in court on Thursday he and two of his passengers had escaped serious injury by jumping into the ocean when a New Zealand volcano erupted in 2019, killing 22.

Another two of pilot Brian Depauw’s joy flight passengers did not make it to the water, were engulfed by a cloud of hot ash from the White Island eruption, and suffered serious burns.

Belgian-born Depauw, who speaks with an Irish accent, testified at the Auckland District Court on Thursday in the trial of three tourism companies and three directors charged with safety breaches over the Dec. 9 disaster. read more

10 Comments on Pilot says he escaped serious injury by jumping into the ocean when a New Zealand volcano erupted

  1. Pick and choose…..take a sub down 2.4 miles under the ocean or take a sightseeing flight in a small plane around an active volcano?

    Plan C: read IOTW Report comments! You might live longer.

    15
  2. Jumping into the ocean to escape a volcano sounds a bit dumb. They could have been eaten by a Great White Shark.

    The lesson: think ahead and consider all risks before you act.

    5
  3. Expect a volcano that erupted 4 years ago to erupt at any time today? And hold the tour company responsible? Seriously?

    That would put most of the Alaskan mountain ranges off limits. Looks like a case of gold diggers digging for deep pockets. Fug ’em.

    12
  4. You weren’t getting away on a shut down helicopter.

    Let’s just go old school on this one. Act of God. Now figure out which person on the island was targeted, and throw them into the volcano properly.

    The tour was inherently risky.

    3
  5. SNS,
    Unless you want to start sacrificing infants and children, good luck finding any virgins over the age of….oh….say….15 y.o. Male or female.

    3

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