What happened
On August 18, 2011, at 10:08 UTC, an Aerospatiale AS355F2, registration VH-NTV, crashed into terrain near Marree, Australia. The aircraft, which was operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, was in the takeoff phase of flight when the collision occurred. Following the impact, the helicopter sustained substantial damage and was destroyed by a post-accident fire. There were 3 fatal injuries involving the pilot and two passengers.
The flight was being conducted under the applicable Australian civil regulations, and weather conditions at the time were reported as Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC).