Chopper horror for Top Gear stars
2009-02-17 07:48
Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond had a brush death as a helicopter they were flying began hurtling towards the ground over Auckland Harbour.
Clarkson and Hammond were only 30 seconds in to a sight-seeing flight over Auckland Harbour in New Zealand, when a seagull smashed into the helicopter’s rotor blades.
Fortunately pilot Andy McKay managed to avert disaster by steadying the French-built Squirrel chopper to make an emergency landing.
“There were six passengers and I told them, ‘We’ve just clipped a bird, I’m going to go back and check the rotors out’,” McKay told the Mirror.co.uk.
“Unfortunately, the seagull was killed instantly.”
Once the damage assessment was complete, the dynamic motoring duo were back in the air.
McKay recalled that the whole ordeal didn’t seem to faze either Clarkson or Hammond.
“They were laughing the whole time. They’re a joke a minute,” said McKay.