Better aviation rules are needed after a litany of pilot errors led to a helicopter crash in Fox Glacier that killed seven people nearly seven years ago, according to the coroner.
Coroner Marcus Elliot's report backed up an earlier probe by the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC), which largely pointed to pilot error as the cause.
The crash happened in November 2015, killing all seven people onboard - six tourists and a Kiwi pilot.
On Friday, the coroner's findings into the crash was released - which concluded the cause of the crash had already been "adequately established" by the TAIC.
Elliot made multiple recommendations including weighing passengers, tighter weather restrictions for flying and better pilot training.
The TAIC report had earlier found the weather conditions on the day of the crash were "unstable and unsuitable" and the helicopter's weight "exceeded the maximum allowable internal weight".
"For commercial transport operations operating from a remote aerodrome where it is not practicable to establish the actual weight of the goods and baggage, the certificate holder must establish procedures to enable the pilot-in-command to assess the weight of the goods and baggage," Marshall said in his recommendations.
On top of this, the coroner also recommended the use of webcams.
"Helicopter operators who conduct air operations in alpine environments should, where it is possible and permissible to do so, install webcams at locations selected to provide information to pilots," he said.
In 2019, the owner of the helicopter company was fined $64,000 for failing to take all practical steps to keep employees and others safe. That was on top of the $125,000 in voluntary reparations to each victim's family - totalling $875,000.
