The Bendora Dam Rescue
On 13 January 2003, Snowy Hydro SouthCare pilot Captain Mike Toms and aircrewman Euan McKenzie were fighting bushfires on the Western side of Canberra by dropping loads of water from the Bendora Dam onto the blazes using the Snowy Hydro SouthCare Bambi bucket. The two crewmen had been keeping in radio and visual contact with a second helicopter, Firebird 278, which was also dropping water on the bushfires from Bendora Dam.
As the helicopters had been passing each other during each fill-up at the dam, Mike and Euan were a bit disturbed when they didn't see the Firebird 278 in the air upon one of their returns to Bendora Dam. After a quick look over the area, Mike and Euan located the Firebird 278 upturned and floating in the dam water below. There was no sign of the pilot.
Mike immediately transmitted a radio distress call advising of the accident. Believing that the pilot of Firebird 278 was trapped in the wreckage of the downed aircraft, Euan moved from his seat in the front of the aircraft to the rear cabin whilst Mike positioned the Snowy Hydro SouthCare Helicopter close to the downed aircraft, sixty metres from the nearest bank.
Euan then jumped approximately six metres into the water below and swam around to the right side of the aircraft. After pausing to catch his breath, Euan dove under the water and located the unconscious pilot who was still strapped in his harness. After releasing the pilot's harness, Euan pulled him to the surface of the water and tried to resuscitate the pilot by positioning him on the footrest of the upturned aircraft.
With the weight of the pilot and Euan the stricken aircraft began to sink. Euan inflated his life jacket, took hold of the pilot began the sixty-metre swim to the closet bank.
Mike saw that with only one life-vest, both men were in danger of sinking. He positioned the Snowy Hydro SouthCare Helicopter only metres above the surface of the dam and directly behind the men in an attempt to push them towards the bank with the downdraft of the aircraft.
A third aircraft, which had monitored the initial distress call from Mike, arrived on the scene with the ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and Chief Fire Control Officer, Peter Lucas-Smith. The two passengers had been inspecting operations in the area and immediately swam out to assist Euan, who was near exhaustion, and the pilot to the bank. Euan and Peter continued to resuscitate the pilot until the paramedics arrived and took over.
Euan McKenzie, John Stanhope and Peter Lucas-Smith each received the highest honour from the Royal Life Saving Society Australia, the Bravery Cross. Euan McKenzie and Captain Mike Toms also received the Eurocopter Golden Hour Award from the Helicopter Association International in the United States.
